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When To File - Or Not - A Class Action Lawsuit

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - When can you file a class action lawsuit? When should you?

A New Jersey woman filed a class action lawsuit against the producers of a two CD set of Hits of the 80s, Platinum Collection because she thought she was buying the original renditions but when she took it home, she found that the songs were actually poor quality covers of her favorite 80s tunes, according to the lawsuit.

The mind boggles with questions: if you buy a bad rendition of a bad song, is it good? Also, why would you admit you bought a platinum collection of 80s hits? Like singing in the shower and not flossing, that's a very personal, very embarrassing disclosure. Also, why a class action?

Under the law, if you were personally harmed, you can file a lawsuit. But if you think that the same defendant hurt lots of people in the same way you were hurt - in this case, the class of duped Flock of Seagull-lovers (to the extent that's not redundant) - then you can all get together and file a single lawsuit alleging the same harm.

But then the final question: Really? This is how we're using our limited judicial resources? Unlike what people think of as a frivolous lawsuit - a case of third degree burns caused by a defectively boiling product - this one really is ridiculous. If you think a product is misrepresenting itself, you can file a complaint with the Attorney General or Better Business Bureau or better yet, take it back to the store and get your money - if not your dignity - back.

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