Employment law pertains to disputes between employees and their employers. While many of these cases involve a single employee filing suit against their employer, it is also possible for multiple employees with similar grievances to join together in a class action against their employer. An experienced San Diego employment class action lawyer is the ideal asset to have on your side for this type of case.
Representing Employment Class Actions in San Diego, CA
The attorneys at Jimenez Loayza, APC, have years of experience resolving a wide range of complex employment law cases. While many of our cases pertain to sole plaintiffs, we can also provide effective and responsive representation for employment class actions. When multiple employees have suffered the same damages from the same employer, joining a class can provide several advantages.
With our assistance, you and the other members of the plaintiff class can more easily understand the state employment laws and federal laws that apply to your situation. Class actions are cost-effective and streamlined alternatives to multiple individual claims and can produce results more efficiently when multiple employees have been adversely affected by their employer’s unethical and/or illegal actions.
The primary benefit of forming a class action employment case is strength in numbers. If you are facing a large corporation in a legal dispute, they will have a much easier time defending against a single plaintiff than a group of plaintiffs with similar grievances. Our team will work closely with every member of your plaintiff class and coordinate with the class representative through every stage of this case.
Examples of Employment Class Actions We Handle in San Diego
When you are searching for a San Diego employment class action lawyer to represent you and the other members of your class, it is vital that you find an attorney who has proven experience representing cases like yours. Some of the most common types of employment class actions filed include:
- Wage and hour claims. When an employer has intentionally violated state wage and hour laws, it is common for more than one employee to be adversely affected. Building a class action wage and hour case enables all affected employees to share and compare their experiences, and the evidence they combine can be extremely powerful when it comes to holding the employer accountable.
- Discrimination. It is illegal for any employer to discriminate on the basis of protected personal characteristics. When multiple employees of the same employer have all experienced similar incidents of discrimination, pursuing a class action discrimination case can help produce positive results for all affected employees more quickly than multiple individual claims.
- Benefits violations. It’s possible that an employer intentionally mismanaged employee retirement accounts and other benefits programs. If so, and multiple employees have been similarly adversely affected, those employees can join together in a class action.
- Sexual harassment. Sexual harassment includes any mistreatment of an employee based on their sex or sexual orientation. When multiple employees who share similar personal protected characteristics have all faced the same type of negative treatment from their employer, it could potentially form grounds for a class action sexual harassment suit against that employer.
These are only a few types of employment class action suits with which our team can help. If you and your co-workers all share similar grievances with your employer, our firm can review the details of your situation during an initial consultation and let you know how we can help. We can also clearly explain the potential advantages and possible drawbacks of pursuing a class action suit in lieu of multiple individual claims.
Benefits of an Employment Class Action Suit in San Diego, CA
You and the other members of your class must apply for a certification of a class in order to pursue your employment class action suit. This requires proof of a definite number of members of the class, evidence that all members share a similar interest in the case, and that each member’s individual interests are supported by similar facts and evidence.
One of the main benefits of an employment class action is efficiency for all parties involved, including the court. There will only be one discovery process instead of multiple processes for each claimant. The case will also be confined to a single set of proceedings instead of multiple individual cases that each may take months or even years to complete individually.
Class actions are also more effective for smaller claims. For example, if each member of your class is seeking a few thousand dollars for wage and hour violations, it is more cost-effective for all of you to join in a class action rather than individually pursue your claims.
The class action results in fewer overall legal expenses for all members of the class combined, which, for smaller claims, tends to yield better individual results for each member of the class in terms of compensation.
Another benefit is strength in numbers, which can effectively reduce the chance of any member of the class facing employer retaliation. When an individual employee pursues any type of legal action against their employer, there is always a chance they could face retaliation, and generally, employers will have a much easier time enacting any such retaliation against a single employee than they would against multiple employees.
Potential Risks of a Class Action
Remember that if you and your co-workers decide to pursue an employment class action, the lead plaintiff or class representative and your San Diego employment class action lawyer can decide the direction of the case. Additionally, by joining a class action, each member of the class relinquishes their right to pursue individual claims. If you will not be acting as lead plaintiff, you are effectively trusting the outcome of the case to your class representative.
Ultimately, when multiple employees all share similar grievances with their employer, a class action is an effective legal mechanism for them to ensure the greatest chance of success with their case. Additionally, success with a class action has a greater chance of leading to systemic changes within the business that can prevent future issues from arising and negatively impacting other employees.
Building Your Employment Class Action in San Diego
If you have established a class to file your suit against an employer in San Diego, one of the most important elements of your case will be discovery or the sharing of pertinent evidence between the opposing sides of the case. For example, in a wage and hour class action, each plaintiff will need to provide documentation that helps substantiate their individual claims that wage and hour violations have occurred.
Each plaintiff must also show proof of their damages, and then the San Diego employment class action lawyer combines the plaintiffs’ discovery elements into a single case representing all members of the class. When all members of the class provide documentation that substantiates their claim, it will make it very difficult for the defendant to disprove the allegations against them as it establishes a clearer pattern of behavior.
Understanding the Role of Lead Plaintiff
When an employment class action is formed, one of the plaintiffs filing the class action will act as the lead plaintiff or class representative in all case proceedings. This role comes with important responsibilities that the lead plaintiff must fully understand, accept, and fulfill.
It is possible in some cases for the lead plaintiff to receive additional compensation for the services they perform on behalf of the group, but they must act in the interests of the whole group, not solely their own.
The lead plaintiff will be responsible for working with the class’s attorney to gather evidence, initiate the lawsuit, and act on behalf of the class throughout the case’s proceedings. The lead plaintiff should regularly confer with the other members of the class, but the other members must remember that the lead plaintiff will be responsible for making certain important decisions about the case, such as whether the class should seek a settlement or aim for litigation.
The lead plaintiff takes the most active role in the class action suit, while the other members of the class will largely remain on the sidelines. Additionally, the lead plaintiff may qualify to receive an incentive reward or additional compensation awarded to them to reflect their additional level of involvement in the case. However, it is not guaranteed in every employment class action.
Compensation in an Employment Class Action
Another important aspect to consider when it comes to employment class actions versus individual claims is the amount of compensation available to each plaintiff in the class. While it is technically possible for an individual plaintiff to secure a larger case award on their own, it is never a guarantee, and they are also likely to incur greater legal expenses if they choose to pursue an individual case.