Lead plaintiff

In a class action lawsuit, a lead plaintiff (also called class representative, named plaintiff, or representative plaintiff) is the named party. The court officially appoints this individual when it certifies the lawsuit as a class action.

The lead plaintiff must be able to represent the interests of all the members of the class. He or she is responsible to hire the attorney, file the lawsuit, consult on the case, and agree to any settlement.

References

• What’s In It For the Lead Class Action Plaintiff? law.freeadvice.com