Originally Posted by
3Cforme
A lot of which is cynical fiction.
Fees aren't paid up front - they are contingent. An unsuccessful case yields nothing. Peer-reviewed academic studies covering hundreds of cases point to a median value of ~25% of recovery going to attorneys. Fees are approved by the courts. Judges can allow a % or they can approve hours and an hourly rate. As for small individual consumer payouts, 75% of something is better than 100% of nothing. In a fairly weak consumer protection environment (look at air carrier contracts of carriage) class action suits are one of the few defenses available to consumers.
Yep. Restating your last sentence, a good part of the reason for such litigation is to police the behavior of the companies being sued. In the absence of government regulation and enforcement, such litigation provides a check on their actions that wouldn't otherwise be available. Even if little or nothing is paid to consumers, curtailing untoward behavior is a benefit.
Consider whose interest it would further to stop such class action litigation, especially since individual litigation is often not practical.