Daniel L. Berman, Salt Lake City, Utah: Uranium History Series

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DANIEL BERMAN 111 trust case, in consumer litigation, what you're doing is, you may have, say, in antibiotics, a broad spectrum of people who have been hurt in an overcharged conspiracy, who as a practical matter could never receive redress because they couldn't afford the cost of litigation presenting their claims. What the class action really does is to take a lot of people who otherwise would never have a day in court and make it practical for them to have it. MH: This is what they did when the made advertisements in the newspaper. They say if you belong to a certain class, you are eligible for that decision? DB: That's right. It took a tremendous amount of time and effort, which was spend in ascertaining the class then paying the money out to the class. MH: Is it true to say, though, that a class action does depend on the fact that a legal decision has to be handed down prior to that class action, stating that some wrong has bee committed, so they can establish the class action? DB: No, you bring an action in behalf of named plaintiffs. You bring the action both individually and representatively for the class. The court is going to make a determination of what the appropriate legal standards are. If the class action is met, the 4