Filing a Facebook Class Action Lawsuit
Facebook has recently come under fire for their use of third party advertisements on their site. This has sparked a number of class action lawsuits that have been filed across the country. Class action lawsuits are usually instigated as a way to pursue a settlement over disputes, such as those brought about by the invasion of privacy via third party advertising. However, in the case of Facebook, the use of third party advertising may be causing Facebook users to falsely sue the company for breach of contract. As more cases of this nature are being filed, it is important to understand the dynamics of these cases and how they can help you as a Facebook user.
The dynamics of a class action lawsuit revolves around the idea that Facebook users who become displeased with the content on Facebook will lodge a number of actions in a single legal forum.
These users may do this by sending a personal complaint via email or via a chat response, or even filing a formal complaint directly with Facebook itself. In a formal complaint, users will often assert that Facebook’s policies, including the terms of service and privacy policy, are illegal and should not be enforced given the fact that these policies were not stated or intended to be void by the user in the first place.
Once an action is filed in a legal forum, this will often spawn additional actions.
For instance, if a user sends a formal complaint to Facebook about a particular area where they feel the website has violated their rights, other Facebook users may start to join the discussions on the issue. Over time, this can result in many legal disputes that are settled outside of Facebook’s premises. For instance, if a user feels that their right to privacy has been violated by an advertisement for a product, but did not click on the advertisement or complaint, they may join a discussion on the matter. At some point, if the user feels like their rights have been violated, they may wish to go to court to seek restitution for the harm they believe they have suffered.
The first step that any individual wishing to file a top class action lawsuit should take is to find a local attorney.
This lawyer will specialize in instances such as this and will understand how to frame their argument to help gain the most traction. Next, the individual should determine whether or not they wish to proceed through Facebook’s arbitration process. Many people prefer to avoid this step due to the fact that Facebook will typically impose very low caps on how many complaints a user may make in a given time period. Also, users often lose any right to pursue damages through the courts through the mandatory arbitration clause.
If an individual decides to file a top class action lawsuit against Facebook, they must also understand the likelihood of success.
For instance, it is unlikely that they will receive any monetary compensation if they lose the case in a local court. On the other hand, if they win the case in a local court, they may be entitled to a much greater settlement because of the long standing of the case. Additionally, many of these cases end up being settled out of court, which further increases the chances for success.
Many attorneys specializing in Facebook-related cases are aggressively going after the company.
Unfortunately, this has created what many refer to as a class action lawsuit bandwagon, which allows multiple cases to be filed against the same defendant. As a result, there is an increased chance for a large cash settlement. It is important to realize that, if you choose to file a top class action lawsuit against Facebook, you should not proceed with caution. Only seek legal counsel from an attorney who has experience in representing individuals who have been harmed by Facebook. Only after consulting an attorney should a person attempt to file a top class action lawsuit on their own.
