this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2025
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Cybersecurity
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The only real downside to doing this is losing the ability to sue individually. What's your success like so far in your suits?
Im saying legitimizing the behavior that leads to these class action lawsuits is the downside to joining them. Companies do not see them as any more than the cost of doing business since the settlements are insignificant. With no real consequences for the behavior, and both sides considering the matter settled, joining them is an endorsement of the whole, corrupted process. We're the ones enabling law firms by signing up to have then "represent our interests," when really no class member ever gets anything anywhere near compensation, companies aren't deterred from their actions, and the only people who profit are the company that gets away with bad behavior and the lawfirm which continues to look for more lousy settlements for income. We should be demanding more, or refusing to join.
You can only demand more by refusing to join, then suing independently from the class action. Opting out without following up with your own lawsuit is just dividing the settlement up among fewer people without having any impact on what the company is paying out. The settlement is already $177m; why would AT&T care if it gets divided among 100 people or 100,000,000?
If there arent enough people to sign up, the settlement wont be large enough for the law firm to bother pursuing a small settlement. If enough people only signed up for these if the firm was willing to seek actual punitive damages, theyd have to do that if they wanted the case at all.
If the firm is only going to get 100 people to sign on, ATT wouldnt agree to a $177m settlement in the first place. "So a mass movement to force a fundamental shift in this system? that'll never happen" - Im trying to point out that we're the ones enabling the system to fail us as consumers, and we collectively have the power to force law firms to seek higher settlements (or actually try to win cases), which would deter companies from cutting so many corners when it comes to our private data.
They haven't even contacted the people eligible yet, but already have the $177m figure. The vast majority of people who are part of these class actions aren't involved (or often aware) until after the settlement is agreed upon. It's based on how many people were potentially impacted, not who signed up. Your main premise is bunk.