The first proposed class actions in competition law in the UK, permitted since October 2015 through the Consumers Rights Act 2015, have been commenced.
Class actions in competition law are a relatively new feature of the UK’s legal landscape. Their purpose is to pursue under the umbrella of one set of proceedings against a common defendant a large number of claims (perhaps of relatively small value) which raise similar issues of fact or law. One advantage of class actions is that they provide a forum for claims to be brought (e.g. on behalf of consumers) which it would be uneconomic to bring as separate proceedings.
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