ANCHOR: DOES YOUR HOME HAVE MASONITE SIDING? OR IS IT SHEATHED IN SYNTHETIC STUCCO? OR DO YOU OWN STOCK IN A COMPANY THAT HAS BEEN SUED BY SHAREHOLDERS? ANCHOR: HUNDREDS OF CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS ARE FILED AND SETTLED EACH YEAR. YOU MIGHT QUALIFY – AND GET SOME BENEFIT – IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK. WGN’S MONEY
SAVING EXPERT ILYCE GLINK HAS THE DETAILS.

ILYCE: RECENTLY, THE COMPANY THAT MAKES DRYVIT, A FORM OF SYNTHETIC STUCCO PROPOSED A SETTLEMENT IN THE ONGOING CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT FILED ON BEHALF OF UNHAPPY HOMEOWNERS. IF THE SETTLEMENT GOES THROUGH, HOMEOWNERS WILL RECEIVE ABOUT $3,000 PLUS FREE INSPECTIONS FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

THAT’S ONLY ONE OF HUNDREDS OF CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS THAT MAY BE SETTLED THIS YEAR. FORTUNATELY, THE INTERNET HAS MADE IT EASY FOR CONSUMERS TO NOT ONLY STAY ON TOP OF WHAT CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS HAVE BEEN FILED, BUT TO APPLY ONLINE TO BECOME PART OF THE CLASS. I’VE FOUND FIVE WEBSITES THAT ARE EASY TO USE AND PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION

CLASS ACTION AMERICA.COM IS RUN BY THE FIRM RESPONSIBLE FOR STARTING THE STATE CLASS-ACTION SUITS AGAINST BIG TOBACCO IN 1994. FINDLAW.COM AND CLASS ACTIONS ONLINE.COM OFFER A VARIETY OF LEGAL RESOURCES.

SECURITIES.STANFORD.EDU, RUN BY STANFORD’S LAW SCHOOL, ACTS AS A CLEARINGHOUSE FOR CLASS-ACTION LAWSUITS BETWEEN COMPANIES AND THEIR SHAREHOLDERS. AND THE NATIONAL CONSUMER LAW CENTER RUNS CONSUMERLAW.COM, SPECIALIZING IN AUTO INSURANCE, CREDIT, AND AGE CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS.

EACH OF THESE WEBSITES ALLOWS YOU TO RESEARCH LAWSUITS BY TYPE OR WORD. SOME ALLOW YOU TO DOWNLOAD OR FILL IN AN ELECTRONIC FORM THAT HELPS THE FIRM LEADING THE LITIGATION TO DETERMINE IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE TO JOIN THE CLASS.

SOME HOMEOWNERS WHOSE HOUSES WERE CLAD IN MASONITE RECEIVED NEARLY TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS AND WERE ABLE TO REPLACE THEIR SIDING.

NOT EVERY CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT HAS A HAPPY ENDING, AND
IF YOU JOIN THE CLASS YOU MAY GIVE UP OTHER RIGHTS TO PURSUE YOUR OWN SETTLEMENT WITH THE COMPANY. BUT AT LEAST YOU’RE NOT SPENDING YOUR OWN MONEY TO CHASE DOWN

A FORTUNE 1000 COMPANY.

FOR WGN NEWS, I’M ILYCE GLINK, SAVING YOU MONEY.

Published: Aug 27, 2002