San Francisco Class Action Attorneys

San Francisco Class Action Attorneys

Consumer protection laws were put in place to hold businesses accountable for unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent practices that harm those who purchase their products or services. These laws exist at both the state and federal level and are enforced by a number of different government agencies, offices of attorneys general, and through the filing of private lawsuits. When a business’s practices or products harm a large group of people, class action litigation may be necessary on behalf of those people (the “class”). The San Francisco class action attorneys at Olivier & Schreiber, LLP have handled many of these types of large, complex cases, and can help you determine if class action litigation is appropriate in your case.

Class Action Lawsuits Help Consumers Share the Burden of Legal Action

Often, one individual facing a contested legal issue with a large company may not have the resources to pursue a fair resolution. The cost of pursuing an individual claim may easily outweigh the potential benefit to the consumer – an economic reality that discourages individual legal actions even when the consumer’s claim is legitimate. Class action litigation can make it possible for a large group of people to hold companies or organizations accountable for the harm they cause. Additionally, consumers don’t necessarily have to be aware that they’ve been damaged by a company’s actions in order to benefit from class action litigation.

Class Action Litigation Can Have Far-Reaching Impact

Perhaps one of the most significant benefits of class action litigation is its ability to change a company, an industry, or society. The impact of a class action may extend well beyond the current case, and can inspire new legislation or better enforcement of existing regulations. By showing that a particular action or policy is negatively affecting a large number of people, often in an ongoing way, class action lawsuits can motivate public officials and companies to act to avoid the issue in the future.

Common Types of Class Action Lawsuits

False or Misleading Advertising

Under both federal law and California state laws, wronged consumers can file civil lawsuits against companies that use false or deceptive advertising practices. This can often include large numbers of people who used the same product or were given the same information from a company.

Wage & Hour

Wage and hour claims, such as wage theft, are some of the most common employment-related class action cases, because employers often, either negligently or intentionally, fail to pay employees the wages and benefits to which they are entitled under the law. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reported that in 2017, the top 10 employment-related settlements totaled $2.72 billion, with over 1 billion of those being wage & hour related claims.

Employment Discrimination

Class action lawsuits can help bring accountability and change to employers who engage in discriminatory hiring practices or create or permit a hostile work environment.

Housing Discrimination

Landlords are prohibited from discriminating against tenants, potential tenants, and homebuyers by state and federal fair housing laws. This includes discrimination on the basis of gender, race, familial status, disability, religion, or ethnicity.  Class actions can remedy discrimination against classes of tenants or homebuyers.

Contact Our Experienced San Francisco Class Action Attorneys

If you’ve experienced actions by an employer, business, or governmental entity that you believe could have also impacted numerous others, please contact us at Olivier & Schreiber, LLP to speak with a dedicated San Francisco class action attorney who can address your concerns.