Eyal Soffer

Date & Time: Thursday 17:00 Date & Time: Thursday 17:00 –– 18:30 18:30 Doors close at 17:00, late comers may Doors close at 17:00, late comers may

enter once 15 minutes after the lesson enter once 15 minutes after the lesson startsstarts

NO CELLPHONES!! Any form of usage is NO CELLPHONES!! Any form of usage is prohibited: turned off, in the bagprohibited: turned off, in the bag

Phone usage penalty: leave the lessonPhone usage penalty: leave the lesson In & out during the lesson is prohibitedIn & out during the lesson is prohibited Be civil to yourselves and others Be civil to yourselves and others

No food during the lesson, only drinksNo food during the lesson, only drinks No LaptopsNo Laptops Violation of these rules will result in Violation of these rules will result in

leaving the lesson and might lead to leaving the lesson and might lead to disciplinary actsdisciplinary acts

Attendance is compulsoryAttendance is compulsory Participation, HW, assignments, quizzes, Participation, HW, assignments, quizzes,

midterm, seen, pass exams and quizzes midterm, seen, pass exams and quizzes DictionaryDictionary NotebookNotebook Pen/ PencilPen/ Pencil Mental preparationMental preparation

Midterm 15% Seen 10%HW, Quizzes, attendance 15%Final exam 60%

Courts often order companies to pay huge settlements to those who have been wronged. However, there are many cases where lawyers benefit more than those they are representing. For example, in a class action suit against a computer retailer lawyers received nearly $6 million while those they represented received less than $15 each. And in a class action suit against a cereal company lawyers received $2 million while the class members received a coupon for more cereal. Despite these examples class action lawsuits remain a necessary tool of the American justice system.

1. look at these groups of four words. Three of them are related according to information in the story. Circle the one word that does not belong.

1. a)jury b)court c)verdict d)consumer 2. a)lawsuit b)lawyer c)juice d) class

action 3. a)homeowners b)consumers c)patients

d)the media 4. a)justice b)toxic spills c)pollution

d)unsafe workplace

Complete the sentence with the phrase that best explains what happened in the story.

1. A woman in Texas became a widow because A. she killed her husband with medication. B. her husband died as a result of taking

Vioxx. C. her husband was a lawyer. D. she won a class-action lawsuit.

2. People might file a class action lawsuit because A. they want to earn money. B. consumers have the right to go to court. C. their neighborhood was polluted. D. they don’t want to get sued.

3. A suit was filed against tobacco companies because A. they stopped producing enough cigarettes. B. they were wealthy corporations. C. doctors recommended it. D. smokers and their families filed it.

4. Lawyers benefit most from class action lawsuits when A. they earn more than the people they

represent. B. the courts pay them directly. C. they sue the justice system. D. courts rule against their clients.

The plaintiff in a court case is the person or group that launches a lawsuit. The defendant is the person or group being defended in court. Based on those definitions, place the plaintiffs and defendants in the proper columns.

A. tobacco smokers/ tobacco companies Plaintiffs defendants B. medical doctor/ medical patient Defendants plaintiffs C. computer retailers / computer buyers Defendants plaintiffs

Write a question using information from the story that would have the following answers:

1. Over 250 million dollars. How much money did the drug company pay

the widow from Texas? 2. A lawsuit in which one or a number of

persons sue on behalf of a larger group of persons

What is a class action lawsuit? 3. Tobacco companies. Who was the defendant in the largest class

action lawsuits?

4. There are many cases where lawyers benefit more than those they were representing.

What could be bad about class action lawsuits?

5. A coupon for cereal. What did the class members got from the

lawsuit against the cereal company?

Put a check mark beside things that might cause a group to launch a class action

Oil spill lost package police corruption Company closure train crash Slow restaurant service Faulty product design Late pizza delivery

English language words with two or more syllables have a strong stress or “emphasis” on one of the syllables. Underline the syllable in the following words that is stressed when the word is spoken

Example: library 1. painkiller 2. corporation 3. pollution 4. representing 5. tobacco 6. examples