What are "class action lawsuits"?

Class action lawsuits are legal actions filed by a group of people who have similar grievances against the same defendant. This type of lawsuit is significant because it allows individuals to collectively bring a claim that might be impractical to pursue individually due to the costs or complexity involved. In a class action, one or several individuals act on behalf of a larger group, known as the class, which shares common legal or factual issues related to the case. This collective approach can lead to more efficient legal proceedings, as it consolidates numerous similar claims into one larger case.

In contrast, the other options describe different types of legal actions that do not align with the concept of class actions. For instance, a legal action filed by a single individual against a corporation pertains to individual lawsuits rather than collective grievances. Legal disputes involving government agencies do not necessarily pertain to class actions; they can cover a wide range of issues beyond group grievances. Lastly, legal defenses used in criminal prosecutions focus on strategies employed in criminal cases, which is not related at all to the nature of a class action lawsuit. Thus, understanding class actions in the context of collective legal grievances is crucial for grasping their function within the legal system.