Has anyone ever been part of a class-action lawsuit? Forum

[OmbreGracieuse]

I was just wondering if anyone has ever been part of a class-action lawsuit. Do you think this hurt your law-school chances?

I got an IUD last year and my doctor thinks it may have caused my cancer. I know there is a lawsuit at the moment, and I am undecided as to whether or not I should join. We can't keep up with the medical bills, and if I need chemo after they remove it, we will DEFINITELY be financially in the hole (we have no insurance). My question is whether or not this would kill my law-school chances. My doctor- tentatively- doesn't think I'll need chemo, but it isn't stopping from all the bills, nor will I ever be able to have more children (I have one).

Has anyone else ever been here? What happened?

[romothesavior]

No, but do you know of any good ones I should sign onto?

[motiontodismiss]

Bank of America absurd fees lawsuit (they settled). I sent in a 3 page objection letter which of course they ignored.

Oh, and I got a bit of cash from the Mastercard/Visa foreign transactions fee settlement. I think.

I got the notice and the settlement was so ridiculous as to be an insult to my intelligence.

[Bert]

I don't see how being part of a class-action lawsuit would impact your law school chances at all, unless you are simultaneously suing the very same law school to which you are applying. Outside of this probably remote instance (and especially in your situation), I would think that you should have nothing to worry about if you were to join onto the law suit. If the IUD caused cancer, I can't really see law schools telling you to get lost solely because you are seeking the remedies available to you under the law for something wrong done to you.

That being said, I wouldn't really boast about the lawsuit either - the schools really don't need to know too much about it, unless you write your PS about it.

[Ty Webb]

I, too, am struggling to understand why one would think that being a part of a class-action law suit would have any impact whatsoever on law school admissions.

[OmbreGracieuse]

I don't see how being part of a class-action lawsuit would impact your law school chances at all, unless you are simultaneously suing the very same law school to which you are applying. Outside of this probably remote instance (and especially in your situation), I would think that you should have nothing to worry about if you were to join onto the law suit. If the IUD caused cancer, I can't really see law schools telling you to get lost solely because you are seeking the remedies available to you under the law for something wrong done to you.

That being said, I wouldn't really boast about the lawsuit either - the schools really don't need to know too much about it, unless you write your PS about it.

I absolutely don't plan to boast, but I didn't know if that would show up on some kind of personal history. If they settle, that would show on my FAFSA, which I know they would wonder over.

I saw my doctor yesterday who brought it up. I appreciate your feedback.

[03121202698008]

I've been a part of a few. I don't think any law schools asked...nor could they hold being part of a class action against you in admissions. Why would they even want to?

[shepdawg]

I randomly get things in the mail telling me that I'm part of a class-action suit. So far I was in the Daewoo USA, ATT, Charter, 24 hour Fitness, Costco, American Express. I have only actually got my part of the settlement once, and that was $2 for the ATT one.

[SamSeaborn2016]

When I was younger I think I got a check for $7 from Progressive as the result of a class- action suit about their using credit without telling their customers.

[nol607]

W&L asks if you have ever been involved in any civil litigation

[ccs224]

I am/was, and actually had to mention it to a few schools that asked if you had ever been arrested (class action was about the arrests). I got in to all of those schools, so I don't think it played any negative factor.

From my experience, you don't have to actually do anything (you, of course, could be active if you wanted) to be part of a class-action lawsuit, besides prove that you are a member of the class if their are funds distributed. That is, if the lawsuit is won on behalf of those who developed cancer and/or other medical problems after the use of xyz IUD, then you will simply have to show that you qualify as a member of that class.

[Bert]

I could be wrong on this, but I believe that you have to actually become a part of the class early on (and not just if/when it is payout time). You need to be in for the long haul, and I believe that this may also obligate you to pay legal fees if things don't work out right.

Maybe there are different criteria for different types of class action lawsuits though.

[ccs224]

I could be wrong on this, but I believe that you have to actually become a part of the class early on (and not just if/when it is payout time). You need to be in for the long haul, and I believe that this may also obligate you to pay legal fees if things don't work out right.

Maybe there are different criteria for different types of class action lawsuits though.

Not my experience at all, though my class action is pretty cut and dry in terms of proving if you qualify (prove that you were arrested at this time and this place). From my understanding, the whole purpose of a class action lawsuit is to represent a mass number of people who are most likely not initially involved in the lawsuit, and this is why you see the late night commercials informing people that if they lost fingers due to strollers, they may be entitled to a their portion of a settlement.

Just wiki'd it:

The procedure for filing a class action is to file suit with one or several named plaintiffs on behalf of a proposed class. The proposed class must consist of a group of individuals or business entities that have suffered a common injury or injuries. Typically these cases result from an action on the part of a business or a particular product defect or policy that applied to all proposed class members in a uniform manner. After the complaint is filed, the plaintiff must file a motion to have the class certified. In some cases class certification may require additional discovery in order to determine if the proposed class meets the standard for class certification.

[JValdez]

I've completed two school applications that have asked whether you have ever been a plaintiff or defendant in a civil suit. Only named individuals in the initial filing are considered class representatives and the plaintiffs. If you're solely a class member, I wouldn't disclose you being a part of a civil lawsuit. Usually a class action involves millions, so I doubt being a class member of a class action would have any type of impact on your applications.

[dextermorgan]

No effect on admissions. Most bar apps ask if you have been involved in civil litigation, but only to make sure you won't abuse the system. A legitimate complaint won't hurt you, and it definitely sounds like you have one.

[OmbreGracieuse]

I just want to say thank you. I know it sounds silly, but I didn't want it to be one of those situations where something too close to home could bar you from admissions (like how some arrests can bar you from a job). I think I am over-worrying the admissions process.

[Holly Golightly]

I could be wrong on this, but I believe that you have to actually become a part of the class early on (and not just if/when it is payout time). You need to be in for the long haul, and I believe that this may also obligate you to pay legal fees if things don't work out right.

Maybe there are different criteria for different types of class action lawsuits though.

Depending on the case, you may need to opt in somewhere around class certification time, or you may not need to do anything until it settles/goes to trial. I won't go into further detail than that.

Also, even if you were to be a named plaintiff in a case, no reputable class action firm would have you pay any legal fees, regardless of the outcome of the case. These kinds of things generally are done on a contingent basis.

It sounds like you have a legitimate claim, and you should at least look into your options. I wouldn't worry at all about it affecting law school admissions.

[tadams86]

My gf got like $34 bucks from apple because her ipod(and others) were getting scratched? Weird I know, but I saw the check.

[Holly Golightly]

Also, a medical case like this would probably be a mass tort, not a class action, meaning you would have to take on much more responsibility for your case. Not necessarily monetary responsibility, but you might have to give deps, etc.

[NewHere]

As others said, it's unlikely to have any effect on your admissions chances.

As JValdez said, some applications ask whether you've been involved in a law suit. I think this question is more about finding out people who have been sued repeatedly (for failure to pay bills, damaging other people's property, etc.) The kind of stuff the bar admissions committee will want to know more about because if someone has a history of committing fraud, violence, etc. that raises doubts about their fitness for being a lawyer.