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Class Action Lawsuits

Class action lawsuits are a relatively new phenomenon in Canada, and became the “law of the land” in Newfoundland and Labrador on April 1, 2002 with passage of the Class Actions Act. This consumer-friendly law allows numerous individuals who have suffered a shared wrong to join together in one lawsuit, which puts the victims on a more level playing field with the often powerful defendant. Without the burden of individual legislation, groups of victims have more access to justice when they can pursue court action together.

Class Actions Level the Playing Field for Victims

Ches Crosbie Barristers is a pioneer in the field of class action lawsuits. We obtained class certification for a lawsuit against Bayer for injuries from their anti-cholesterol drug Baycol – the first class action certified in Newfoundland and Labrador. We were also the first to receive a court approved settlement in Atlantic Canada in a class action in Labrador over a hospital sterilization failure.

Our experience does not end there. In addition, we represent claimants in a number of other class action lawsuits, including a case against Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited for deceptive marketing of their light cigarettes, against Advanced Medical Optics for a contaminated contact lens solution, against Purdue Pharma and their drug Oxycontin, Labrador Residential Schools, and more. Our most high profile cases currently are the Breast Cancer Testing Class Action and the Miramichi Pathology Class Action.

 

Established in 1991, Ches Crosbie Barristers serve residents of Newfoundland and Labrador and we pride ourselves on leveling the playing field for the “little guy” in class action suits against major manufacturers, corporations, and insurance companies. Our main office is in St. John’s, but we serve many clients all over the Avalon Peninsula, the Trinity Conception area, including Bay Roberts and Harbour Grace-Carbonear, Clarenville, Gander, Grand Falls, Corner Brook – all over the island of Newfoundland, and in Labrador too.

Information to Empower the Consumer

We feel so strongly that consumers should be on a level playing field with insurance companies and major manufacturers and corporations that we wrote the book on injury and accident cases. Our ultimate guide to accident cases in Newfoundland and Labrador, 7 Deadly Sins That Can Wreck Your Injury Claim, is available free to residents of this province. Find out the answers to your pressing legal questions, like:

• Do I need a lawyer?
  
• How do I find the right lawyer for my injury case?
  
• How do I avoid making a terrible mistake in my claim?

Order this innovative consumer book today – free!

As pioneers in the field of class action lawsuits, we feel uniquely qualified to represent victims against powerful defendants. The lawyers at Ches Crosbie Barristers have dedicated our practice to leveling the playing field for people injured by the fault or negligence of others. Our pioneering work in class actions takes our commitment to leveling the playing field for the consumer to a whole new level.

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Ches Crosbie Barristers
169 Water Street, 4th Floor
St. John's, NL
A1C 1B1
Telephone: 709.579.4000 or 1.888.579.3262
Fax: 709. 579.9671

Serving residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, including those in St. John’s, the Avalon Peninsula, the Trinity Conception area, Bay Roberts, Harbour Grace-Carbonear, Clarenville, Gander, Grand Falls, and Corner Brook.

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Blog for Class Action Lawsuits

• Federal Crown Offers Unequal Treatment to Aboriginals in Newfoundland and Labrador Residential Schools Class Action
• Class Action Causes Reform of Wrongful Death Laws
• Atlantic Lotto Tries to Exhaust VLT Plaintiffs
• Atlantic Lotto Fails in Attempt to Kill VLT Class Action
• Money Mart Settlement
• Optimism for Reforms at Eastern Health
• Class Action Lawyer Criticizes "Newfie Joke" Tobacco Ruling
• Timing of Compensation Payments
• Eastern Health Mixes Up Test Results Again
• Governments Sues Bill Murray to Recover Money Stolen to Feed VLTs
• Court Favors Plaintiff in Pension Class Action Against Memorial University
• Ches Crosbie interviewed on breast cancer testing class action compensation and fees
• Not Giving Up on VLT Class Action
• Can the Civil Justice System Rise to the Challenge of VLTs?
• Light Cigarettes Appeal: Judge out of step with modern policy
• Breast Cancer Settlement: How Much and When Paid?
• The Shocking Truth About Wrongful Death Claims: An Open Letter to the Premier
• Eastern Health to Put Scandal Behind It: Here's How
• Does the Public Support Members of the Breast Cancer Testing Class Action?
• Class Member Comments on Government Absence

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Library for Class Action Lawsuits:

• Ches Crosbie interviewed by National Post   
  Description: Ches Crosbie interviewed by National Post's Daryl-Lynn Carlson on March 15, 2010 on the best jurisdiction in Caanda to launch a class action suit
• Acreman v. MUN Certification Decision [PDF]   
  Description: Acreman v. MUN is a pension case granting certification in January 2010. It is a workmanlike effort which builds on jurisprudence which we have contributed to, including Rideout, Doucette and Wheadon.
• Healthcare Class Actions: Bad Doctor or Bad System? [PDF]   
• Newfoundland and Labrador: Class Action Experience [PDF]   
  Description: This paper is prepared for the panel topic “National Update on Class Actions”, part of the Canadian Institute’s 2004 Forum on “Litigating Class Actions”. The paper will give some background on the origins of the Newfoundland and Labrador Class Actions Act, SNL 2001 C-18.1, contrast it with the legislation of other major jurisdictions, review the early jurisprudence, and offer comment on the risk posed by overlapping class actions being launched in multiple jurisdictions – a risk which affected the first Newfoundland case to achieve certification.
• Mass Torts and Class Actions: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff [PDF]   
  Description: Mass torts and class actions have in common a numerosity of victims. The wrongdoer may be one or several. The wrong may be a single event, such as a train wreck, or a creeping wrong, such as a lung disease caused by asbestos or tobacco. Class actions are a legislative response (and after Western Shopping Centres, a judicial response) to the challenge of providing procedural solutions to the problems presented by numerosity of claims.

View All

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Frequent Questions for Class Action Lawsuits:

• What will it cost me to participate?

• Why should I participate in a class action?

• How do I join a class action?
• How does a class action work?
• What is a class action?
• What do I have to do to join the class action?
• As a class member do I have a responsibility for the legal fee of plaintiff's counsel?
• As a class member, do I have any responsibility to pay for any cost awards payable to the other side?

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Videos about Class Action Lawsuits:

• Class Action Cases Need Experienced Attorneys
• Imperial Tobacco Appeal Decision
• Ches Crosbie comments on March 24, 2010 Update of Cameron Report
• Remembering Donna Howell - NTV Early Edition
• Remembering Donna Howell

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