Browsing the class action newswires today I came across this press release announcing a class action filed by a group of disgruntled mothers against their ungrateful offspring. The suit, apparently a putative injunctive class action sought to be certified under Rule 23(b)(2), seeks an order that children “stop asking because from now on they are not getting – without more gratitude.” I’m not saying that I jumped to the conclusion that I was a defendant, but in the abundance of caution, I read on.
A full read of the press release revealed, much to my relief, that it isn’t a real class action but rather a virtual “lawsuit” filed on a website called www.RealVerdict.com. The website allows users to file grievances against others, give evidence as “witnesses” in these virtual cases, and vote as jurors on who should win. Unlike other websites offering to assist potential litigants with assistance in real lawsuits (see April 14 entry entitled Class Action Lawsuits the Latest Internet Craze? ), Realverdict.com makes clear that its cases provide no legally binding dispute resolution. However, as a forum for venting, comic relief, public commentary, private arbitration, or maybe even theory testing for real lawsuits (ok, probably not the last two), it might be worth a try.
ClassActionBlawg.com 
A nice evaluation of our community justice site, thanks! Do not be so quick though to dismiss the potential of pre-trial testing and public opinion that it might generate. The Mother’s Day item was amusing, but your readers might be more interested in the Auction Rate Preferred “Fraud” case which is being prepped for real as a Class Action suit.
Chris, thanks for the tip. I will certainly keep an eye on http://www.RealVerdict.com in the future. The idea of using a public, online resource for theory testing is an intriguing one.