New York City Class Action & Collective Action Lawyer
Helping Employees in New York City Reform the Way Their Companies Operate
If the unlawful situation pertaining to you is also pertaining to others, you might be part of a wider class affected by the unlawful conduct. For example, if your employer is failing to pay you overtime pay, it is likely not paying others the overtime owed to them as well. If any of the unlawful conduct described on this website is happening on a wide-scale basis, you might have a class action or collective action lawsuit.
A class action operates on a grander scale than an individual lawsuit. The stakes are much higher for the company and the issues are much more complex. When considering class action representation, it is important to consider the experience of the lawyers involved in class actions. At Mansell Law, our experienced NYC employment lawyers have handled numerous class and collective actions ranging in size from 10 to 1000+ employees.
What Does a Class Action Do?
A class-action lawsuit allows one person or a small group of people to be represented by a law firm and sue on behalf of tens, hundreds, or thousands of people with similar complaints. Because there is strength in numbers, a class action lawsuit is a powerful tool that individuals can use to enforce the law against large corporate employers and government entities.
According to the Legal Aid Society, New Yorkers are illegally underpaid to the tune of approximately one billion dollars every year. The harm done to one employee might be too small for the worker to fight in court and hold the employer accountable. But when a whole department or the entire company workforce are subjected to minimum wage violations, withheld meals and breaks or unpaid overtime, over a period of months or even years, the numbers quickly add up. Nurses and healthcare workers, food service workers, retail workers and construction workers can band together in a class action and hold their employers accountable.
If just one employee sues the employer for a wage violation, the employer might quietly settle the matter and continue on with its unlawful conduct. In a class action, not only will the company be forced to pay its employees for the damage done to them; it will also be ordered by the court to reform its practices. A class action gets a company’s attention and the court’s attention as well. There is strength in numbers, and a collective action levels the playing field against even the biggest businesses.
How Do You Bring a Class Action?
There are several factors that law firms must consider prior to bringing a lawsuit as a class action:
- Numerosity – Are there enough people affected by the illegal practice to warrant a class action?
- Commonality – Do the affected persons’ situations share common legal issues to be resolved?
- Typicality – Are the claims of the person(s) bringing the suit typical of those of the entire class?
- Adequacy of Representation – Will the law firm bringing the lawsuit be willing and able to represent the interests of the entire class?
Whichever law firm you talk to, make sure they have experience in class action representation and are willing to commit the time, energy and resources it takes to successfully pursue your case.
Call Our New York Employment Lawyers to Discuss Your Wage & Hour Class Action
At Mansell Law, our New York employment lawyers have helmed enough class actions and collective actions to understand what it takes to bring a class-action lawsuit successfully. Let us hear from you if you have been the victim of a wage and hour violation in New York City. Whether the violation happened only to you or ten others, a hundred others or a thousand others, we’ll take on the job of getting justice and compensation for you and your co-workers. Call 646-921-8900 for a free consultation.
