Class representative

The named person who stands in for the whole class.

The class representative - sometimes called the lead or named plaintiff - is the person whose name appears in the public court filing. They speak for the class, and courts require them to be typical of the group and adequate to represent it.

Practically, it means answering questions under oath at some point, handing over your own records in discovery, and staying with a case that can run a couple of years. Most cases need only two to five representatives, not hundreds.

Related terms

• Class action - One lawsuit brought on behalf of everyone harmed the same way.
• Class certification - The court ruling that lets one case speak for everyone.
• Arbitration clause - Contract language sending disputes to a private forum instead of court.
• Class-action waiver - A term saying you may only bring a claim for yourself, never as a group.
• Unconscionability - A contract term so one-sided a court refuses to enforce it.
• Contract of adhesion - A take-it-or-leave-it contract with no room to negotiate.
• Assent - Whether you actually agreed, and how the company proved it.
• Negative option billing - You are charged unless you act to stop it.