Verbs
To take legal action against a person or a company
To sue
There have to be enough people
Numerosity
A tort that was caused by being careless or not paying attention
Negligent tort
A legal term meaning responsible
Liable
A formal word that means to solve
The people in the class are suffering from similar problems
Commonality
If a pharmaceutical company sells medication that makes people grow a third arm
Strict liability
A harm caused to someone
An injury
To opt out
The people who represent the class in court have problems that are representative of all the class
Typicity
Money to cover the victim's hospital bills, damaged property, or lost salary
Compensatory damages
When the court orders a person or company to stop doing something
Injunction
To certify
The people who represent the class in court are able to do so, and are not going to get extra benefits for themselves
Adequacy
Money the defendant must pay if the tort is considered very serious or malicious
Punitive damages
This word describes how class action lawyers are usually paid, meaning they are only paid if they win the case
Contingency basis or no-win, no-fee