Class action: a common form of representative litigation in the United States of America Special reference to the validity of class action waivers and class actions regulation under Spanish law

Abstract

This paper is an introduction to the U.S. class action lawsuits under the Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Class actions lawsuits have been an integral part of the U.S. judicial system for many decades. This paper outlines both the benefits of this remedy and the main criticisms of it. It pays special attention to pre-default, contractual mandatory arbitration clauses and the validity of class action waivers. All this is viewed from a practical perspective based on real cases that illustrate the actual trends of the American Courts of Justice. Finally, it includes a brief analysis of the Spanish class actions to provide the reader with a general overview of this procedural device both under US and EU law perspective.