"Consumer Class Actions Usurping Personal Injury Claims"

On July 11, 2007, the National Law Journal had an interesting article called "Consumer Class Actions Usurping Personal Injury Claims." The article reports that "[p]aintiffs lawyers are filing an increasing number of class actions under state consumer-protection laws in conjunction with, or in place of, traditional personal injury class actions, which have become too difficult in recent years to certify." The article goes on to explain that these suits seek to recover the economic loss the consumers suffered, rather than damages for personal injury. Sounds familiar, as monetary relief under the UCL has long been limited to restitution, which encompasses economic loss.