Simple English definitions for legal terms
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A hybrid class action is a type of class action lawsuit where a single person or a small group of people represent the interests of a larger group. This type of lawsuit is used when it is impractical for each individual in the group to file a separate lawsuit.
For example, if a company sells a defective product that harms many people, a hybrid class action lawsuit may be filed on behalf of all the people who were harmed. The representative parties in the lawsuit would be a small group of people who were harmed, but they would be representing the interests of the larger group of people who were also harmed by the defective product.
In order to maintain a hybrid class action lawsuit, there are several prerequisites that must be met. The class must be so large that individual lawsuits would be impractical, there must be legal or factual questions common to the class, the claims or defenses of the representative parties must be typical of those of the class, and the representative parties must adequately protect the interests of the class.
Overall, a hybrid class action lawsuit is a way for a large group of people to seek justice and compensation for harm caused by a company or individual. It allows for a more efficient and effective way to handle cases where many people have been affected by the same issue.