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Banded together, many otherwise small claims can become quite significant indeed

What if you're not the only one who has suffered injury due to someone's wrongful acts? What if there are lots of people who, by "banding together," can not only spread the cost of litigating but can dramatically increase the damages for which the defendant is liable?

Class actions provide a mechanism for claims that would be too small or impractical to bring on an individual basis to be heard on a collective basis. Generally, two conditions must exist before a claim can be heard on a class basis: (1) the issues in dispute must be common to all members of the class; and (2) class members are so numerous that it would be impracticable to present their claims individually.

Examples of claims that might warrant class treatment include those of:

• Consumers injured by the same defective product or victimized by the same deceptive advertising or business practice
• Home owners or business owners affected by an environmental disaster or by insurance companies' inadequate or fraudulent response to resulting claims
• Employees subjected to a pattern of gender, age, or race discrimination by a common employe

At The Chandra Law Firm LLC, we serve as "class counsel" for groups of persons injured by a defendant's wrongful conduct. For example, we represented a class of retired newspaper workers whose former employer promised them lifetime health-insurance benefits-but then reneged when that proved too expensive. After filing suit in federal court and winning an injunction that ordered complete restoration of benefits, we negotiated a settlement that provided insurance coverage that was not only permanent but was far superior to that which had originally been promised-lower co-pays and cheaper prescription drugs.

If you have been harmed by a company's products or practices, and suspect others may be "in the same boat," don't hesitate to call The Chandra Law Firm LLC. You can reach our firm, which serves clients throughout Ohio, by calling 216-578-1700 or filling out our online contact form.