Consumer Class Actions

Daunting in scope and potential significance, class actions pose financial, reputational, and operational risks to companies in all industries. Whether a class action is threatened or filed, our attorneys draw on extensive knowledge and experience to strategize and implement an appropriate defense strategy.

HOW WE HELP

We have the ability to form integrated teams to defend our clients from coast to coast, whether that means seamlessly conducting discovery in multiple states or defending against “copycat” cases that frequently appear in the wake of initial class action filings. 

Our attorneys serve as legal and business advisors to our clients in many industries, including retail, food and beverage, banking, pharmaceutical, consulting, transportation, manufacturing, real estate, medical equipment, computer, and automotive. Our clients frequently call upon us to review and revise company policies and procedures. Such proactive measures can minimize litigation risks and at the same time enhance business operations.

OUR SERVICES

Consumer Fraud. Our class action attorneys defend cases involving, among other things, pricing practices, advertising practices, credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, loyalty programs and call recording practices. Some examples of our experience include cases brought under the State Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, Song-Beverly Act, qui tam/taxpayer suits, Electronic Funds Transfer Act, privacy statutes, Biometric Information Privacy Act, and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act.

Consumer Financial Services Litigation. We represent clients in virtually every type of bank and lending litigation, ranging from multi-jurisdictional consumer class actions to commercial loan enforcement to lender liability claims and retail banking matters. We regularly defend against investigations and enforcement actions by federal and state regulators and other governmental authorities.

Food, Beverage and Supplement Labeling and Safety. We assist clients in litigation matters and investigations by regulatory agencies. Our attorneys have in-depth knowledge in a comprehensive range of medical, scientific and other relevant disciplines. We have a network of highly respected scientific and technical experts who can break down complicated ideas and scientific terminology—for presentation to judges and juries.

Biometric Privacy Compliance & Litigation. As regulations around biometric privacy continue to evolve, we advise businesses on compliance with these laws and maintain a robust docket of biometric privacy class action cases. We defend companies in a wide range of industries, such as hotels, airlines, restaurants, and health care systems in class action lawsuits asserting violations of the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act (“BIPA”).

THE SEYFARTH EXPERIENCE

We are strategic, fast-thinking litigators who argue effectively and persuasively. We understand the need to achieve results in the most practical and effective manner possible. Seyfarth continues to make a significant investment in our advanced delivery platform that enables us to achieve litigation efficiencies for our clients. We also have broad experience working with litigation support personnel, both inside and outside the firm, in order to streamline the litigation process and make the most effective use of resources.

Seyfarth is one of the few law firms with a truly dedicated eDiscovery & Information Governance practice group. Our class action attorneys work in tandem with the eDiscovery group to represent clients in all facets of electronic discovery and information governance, including pre-litigation preparedness and the preservation, collection, review and production of electronic information in litigation. They also handle information governance issues related to data security, privacy and records management.

Our attorneys recognize that class action law is dynamic and ever-changing, with frequent procedural and substantive developments. To that end, we maintain our Consumer Class Defense law blog on consumer class actions as a resource for executives and corporate in-house counsel. The blog addresses procedural issues, such as arbitration, class action waivers and certification, as well as legal developments in the area of consumer fraud, statutory damages and consumer financial litigation. The blog is located at: www.consumerclassdefense.com.