CLASS ACTIONS:
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Some companies try to obtain a competitive advantage or increase their profits by misrepresenting the price or quality of their products and services, by burying crucial terms or fees in the fine print, or by otherwise hiding the truth from consumers. When this happens, a consumer’s only recourse may be through the courts. Because the damages suffered by any individual may be small, the only way to obtain justice for injured consumers is by joining their claims together through a class action.
Schroeter Goldmark & Bender has the experience, resources and passion to take on complex and challenging class action consumer protection cases. We have experience in determining which contract provisions will be enforced by the courts and the tenacity to fight those unfair provisions that deny effective relief to consumers.
Be aware that, while the Washington Consumer Protection Act has a four-year statute of limitations for bringing any claims in court, many federal laws give consumers as little as a year to bring a claim.
Let us help you
There is no charge for us to review your potential claim. If we take the case, we do so on a contingency basis and we advance all the costs of the litigation. Class action plaintiffs are not responsible for fees or costs, and we only recover our fees and costs if we are successful in obtaining relief for the class through judgment or settlement. Contact us for a free, confidential case review or call us at 1-800-809-2234.
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Class actions are subject to close supervision by the courts, and there are very specific rules governing the prosecution of class actions. Many firms sign up clients with potential class claims without ever having handled a class action case or having much experience working with the class action rules. Even experienced class action firms may never have actually taken a case to trial, instead opting to settle all of their cases.
At SGB, we have brought and tried class action lawsuits in a wide variety of areas, including consumer protection, employment, and environmental cases. We know what it takes to get court approval for a case to proceed as a class action, we know how to manage class actions, we know how to structure settlements to obtain the maximum benefits for consumers, and we know, if necessary, how to try these cases to obtain the best result for our clients. Learn about what you can do to protect your interests when considering consumer protection legal action.
A wide variety of state and federal laws apply to different kinds of consumer class actions. Washington State has one of the broadest consumer protection laws in the country, the Washington Consumer Protection Act. The attorneys at SGB are familiar not just with the Consumer Protection Act and other state laws, but federal laws such as the Truth in Lending Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Read about SGB's current consumer protection class action cases.
- Class action settlements with the City of Seattle and Washington State Patrol obtaining compensation for owners of vehicles that were unlawfully impounded for Driving While License Suspended violations.
- Class action settlement on behalf of Bank of America account holders charged fees for using unbranded ATMS owned by the bank requiring substantial reimbursement of fees and revised disclosures and practices by the bank.
- Settlements requiring warnings of possible debit and credit card holds at gas station pumps to help consumers avoid overdraft and insufficient fund fees.
- Class action settlement with Regence Blue Shield requiring reimbursement of expenses incurred by members as a result of termination of provider contracts with several surgical provider groups.
- Nationwide class action settlement under the Washington Consumer Protection Act for deceptive marketing practices by a mail-order film developer.
Read about SGB's current consumer protection class action cases.
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