A class action lawsuit is a civil suit. Civil law regulates relations between people, so this is the court in which you assert your rights against persons and enterprises. As opposed to a criminal trial, in which someone is accused of breaking the law, the civil court regulates actions that simply harm others but are not necessarily against the law. A class action lawsuit is a different format than most lawsuits because it is brought on by one or more people on behalf of themselves as well as a host of other people in a similar situation. If a group of people have experienced the same circumstances and these common issues are the most critical issues of the lawsuit, they can partake in a class action together.

One of the most common examples of this is when lots of consumers are hurt by the same defective product. First the court establishes whether the product caused the injury. After this is established then the court determines how badly each party was injured and what reparations could be. Class actions can also be brought on contracts and security claims. Class actions often involve hundreds, thousands, even millions of participants with similar claims. Once these people have class action certification, all claims can be heard in a single trial.