What's the difference between a mass action, a class action, and an individual lawsuit?

[bachir93]

Mass and Class Actions refer to the suit of a group of people. while Individual lawsuit refers to the claim filed by a single person.

[lamarr3]

Mass and Class Actions refer to the suit of a group of people. while Individual lawsuit refers to the claim filed by a single person.

* Individual lawsuit - You'll get to work with your own lawyer and receive personal attention. However, it is very likely that DePuy can pour more money into your case than your lawyer can - and with thousands of potential plaintiffs, DePuy is willing to spend even more money than your case is worth so that they can set a precedent.

* Class action - Class actions are brought when the damages to individuals are so nearly identical that they can be treated as a single case. They are much cheaper to bring than individual lawsuits, which gives an advantage. However, the DePuy case will not be certified as a class action because the damages are highly individualized. There are also many other disadvantages to class action lawsuits.

* Mass action - Mass action lawsuits are similar to individual lawsuits in that there is a great deal of attention paid to your personal case. They are similar to class actions in that many people can bring a stronger lawsuit against a large corporation by banding together. Mass action lawsuits give lawyers the advantage they need to take on the imposing legal team that corporations are capable of putting together.

[aenedleah10]

Mass action and class action are the same thing. Class action is when a group of people with the same grievance collectively sue someone or some company. EG. A group of people with adverse reactions to a certain drug sue a drug company. There are multiple plaintiffs and one defendant

An individual lawsuit is one person suing someone else or one company--one plaintiff and one defendant