The nature of our economic system allows a certain amount of freedom for companies to experiment with ideas and push boundaries. If they do this wisely, they can reap the financial benefits. However, when they ignore safety standards and regulations, people get hurt.
Whether due to negligence or greed, sometimes medications and products turn out to be dangerous. Each year, lives are ruined by companies that put profits over people. If this has happened to you, a Hickory mass tort lawyer can fight to get the compensation you need.
At DeMayo Law Offices, we have recovered over $1 billion in settlements and awards for injured victims like you. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and find out how our Hickory personal injury lawyers can help.
What Is a Mass Tort?
A mass tort is a legal action in which a group of plaintiffs sue one or more defendants for the same or similar issue. It is important to understand the similarities and differences between a mass tort, a personal injury claim, and a class action suit.
Personal Injury Lawsuits
In a personal injury case, you as an individual, initiate legal action against a defendant who has harmed you in some way. In this situation, your attorney would establish the liability of the defendant, assess your damages, and file a claim or a civil lawsuit on your behalf.
Personal injury claims are common for car accidents, truck crashes, and slip-and-falls. In a personal injury case, it is you against the defendant. When you win, the award is yours, minus any fees you agreed to through a contingency arrangement and other costs.
Class Action Lawsuits
Class action lawsuits are filed on behalf of a group of people, also known as a class. You are one of many whom the defendant has harmed. A class can consist of a few dozen people or many thousands of people.
You do not need to initiate the legal action to be part of the class. In some cases, you may get a notice advising you that you are part of a class you weren’t even aware of.
When you win a class action suit, the award is distributed amongst the members of the class. Even when awards are in the millions of dollars, if there are many people in the class, you may see only a small portion of the money.
Mass Tort Lawsuits
In a mass tort suit, your case remains separate from others, as in a personal injury lawsuit. When you win, your award is based on your individual damages. However, because many plaintiffs are suing the same defendant over similar issues, the cases can be grouped together.
Mass torts are common in cases involving defective products, where many people have been injured by one dangerous or faulty product. That product could be almost anything, such as a household item, a drug, material used in surgery, or food.
If you have any questions regarding the best way to proceed with your case, a Hickory mass tort attorney can help you understand your options.
For a free legal consultation with a mass torts lawyer serving Hickory, call (877) 333-1000
Advantages of Mass Tort Litigation
When you file a personal injury lawsuit, your suit may be combined with similar cases against the same defendant through multidistrict litigation. This process consolidates and streamlines many legal processes, easing pressure on the judicial system.
The main advantage for you and other plaintiffs is that mass torts give you a better chance at winning, especially against large, powerful companies with seemingly unlimited resources. Mass tort suits can also save you money, as plaintiffs share the burden of expenses.
A single mass tort suit eliminates the possibility of contradictory verdicts. For example, if another plaintiff sued your defendant previously and lost, the outcome of that case may be used against you. That won’t happen when all plaintiffs approach a lawsuit as one.
Hickory Mass Torts Lawyer Near Me (877) 333-1000
Recoverable Damages in a Mass Tort Lawsuit
Because you are treated as a single entity from an award perspective, the money you can recover depends on the extent of your damages. The total amount is impossible to predict without a thorough investigation of your claim.
A mass tort lawyer in Hickory can assess your economic hardships and arrive at a maximum compensation amount. While each case is different, they may include:
- Expenses associated with medical care such as doctor and specialist visits, x-rays and imaging, procedures, ambulance transportation, and emergency room care
- Medications
- Surgery
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Lost income for the time you are unable to work
- Employment issues such as job retraining
- Property damage
You can help your attorney calculate your damages by keeping track of receipts and invoices for all of your expenses. You may also be eligible to receive non–economic damages for things like pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, and mental anguish.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are awarded separately from your other damages, and they can increase the amount of your payout significantly. In North Carolina, punitive damages are three times the amount of your compensatory damages or $250,000, whichever is greater.
While punitive damages are rare in most trials, they are more common in situations where a defendant has harmed a large group of people through extremely negligent or illegal actions. The intent is to punish the defendant and set an example that deters similar future behaviors.
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Contact a Hickory Mass Tort Lawyer
As consumers, we must trust that the products and services we rely on are safe, tested, and meet quality control standards. But that isn’t always the case, and when companies ignore safety or attempt to bypass regulations, innocent people can get hurt.
If a hazardous product or procedure has injured you, you probably aren’t alone. A Hickory mass tort attorney can establish a pattern of negligence that shows a company or manufacturer failed in their duty to protect you. We can help you get the compensation you deserve.
Our team at DeMayo Law has over 250 years of combined experience advocating for injured victims. We take pride in our empathetic approach to every case and every victim, and we are here to help. Contact us today for a free consultation and tell us your story.
Call or text (877) 333-1000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
