Consumer Class Actions

Defending the Rights of California Consumers and Employees in Class Action Lawsuits

Consumer Fraud • Defective Products • Wage and Hour Claims

At the LA law office of Michels & Watkins, attorney Gregg Farley represents consumers in class action lawsuits for defective drugs and defective medical products, consumer fraud, illegal debt collection practices, and misuse of private information. He also fights for the rights of employees in wage and hour claims.

While this is a new area for Michels & Watkins, it's not new for attorney Farley. He has been handling class action lawsuits for more than 25 years. He is a frequent lecturer and writer on consumer class action litigation. For a number of years, Mr. Farley worked for a large law firm, handling defense work in class action cases. He now uses this in-depth knowledge of consumer protection law and employment law to benefit people who have suffered serious injuries or financial losses due to corporate or employer wrongdoing.

Do you have a case?

Mr. Farley assists clients with the following types of consumer class action suits:

• Consumer fraud: Phone companies, cell phone plans, insurance companies, credit card companies and HMOs are among the businesses facing lawsuits for unfair actions against consumers. These lawsuits typically stem from the following allegations:
  • Changing the terms of a contract without disclosing it
  • Failing to honor gift cards that are lost or stolen, or illegally applying an expiration date on a gift card
  • Applying unlawful rate hikes, excessive fees and charges, or adding fees not identified in the contract
  • Charging an improper exchange rate for foreign money transactions
  • Charging sales tax for items that are not taxable or for goods delivered out-of-state
  • Requiring consumers to provide inappropriate personal information, misusing private information, or losing private information (such as Social Security numbers or credit card information)
  • Making false claims regarding the costs/benefits of an insurance product, or the effectiveness, quality or quantity of a consumer product
• Illegal debt collection practices
• Invasion of privacy, including videotaping or recording someone without their consent
• Defective drugs and medical products: If the FDA reports a drug complication or finds that a drug is unsafe or ineffective, a consumer class action suit may be brought by those who have had financial losses. If a patient is injured by the use of a defective drug, or a death results from a defective medical product, then a products liability case may also secure compensation.
• Defective consumer products: Recent products have included contaminated pet food, defective computer software, car parts that wear out prematurely, and glass objects decorated with poisonous lead paint.
• Failing to warn of carcinogens or dangerous chemicals (Prop 65)
• Wage and hour violations: In these nationwide or California class action cases, Mr. Farley protects employees whose rights have been violated when an employer:
  • Failed to pay overtime
  • Required them to work through meal or rest breaks
  • Failed to reimburse them for mileage, tools, uniforms or travel
  • Failed to pay minimum wage
  • Failed to allow family or maternity leave as required by law
  • Misclassified a group of employees as exempt rather than hourly workers

Contact Us

If you need information about a possible consumer fraud, defective drug, or wage and hour violation class action suit, contact the Los Angeles Law Offices of Michels & Watkins to speak with a dedicated lawyer.