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Civil litigation

class actions

A class action is a type of lawsuit in which one or a few plaintiffs seek to represent hundreds or thousands of plaintiffs with the same or similar claims against the same defendants. Rules of procedure in state and federal courts permit class actions in limited circumstances for the purpose of resolving similar disputes more efficiently than if each plaintiff filed a separate lawsuit.

In Iowa, class action lawsuits are governed by Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, specifically Rule 1.261 to 1.263, which are similar to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23. These rules allow one or more plaintiffs to represent a larger group, or 'class', in a lawsuit if the class is so numerous that individual suits would be impractical, there are questions of law or fact common to the class, the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class, and the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class. Class actions in Iowa are used to increase the efficiency of the legal process by resolving widespread issues in a single case rather than in multiple lawsuits, and they are subject to certification by the court, which determines whether the legal action meets the requirements to proceed as a class action.

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Civil litigation

class actions

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Civil litigation

class actions

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