"Class actions are less about compensation and more about forming big enough sticks to beat misbehaving corporations about the head with. " Class actions were

"Class actions are less about compensation and more about forming big enough sticks to beat misbehaving corporations about the head with. " Class actions were never about this until recently . The original purpose was to make it easier to manage the case (vs 50 separate cases) for the justice system. It was about "the efficient administration of justice". Nothing more, nothing less. When they were created (out of thin air) in the US, this was the goal. AFAIK, nobody thought about, or wanted, what has happened now. It's not even a good vehicle to accomplish "beating misbehaving corporations" , because when used for that purpose, it mostly makes money for lawyers, encourages nuisance suits, etc.