Class actions are lawsuits brought by a representative member(s) of a large group of persons on behalf of all the members of the group who have suffered identical or similar harm for which the same defendant may be liable -- such as a defective product class action against a manufacturer or an employment discrimination class action against a large company.
Douglas, Alaska is an area on Douglas Island in southeastern Alaska. It originated in 1881 as a place providing services to miners of the nearby Treadwell gold mine, and was incorporated as a city in 1902. Douglas was once a larger town than neighboring Juneau, but dwindled in the early 1900s as mining activity moved to other locations. Today Douglas is a residential community on Douglas Island and is legally a part of the City and Borough of Juneau. It is connected to Juneau, which is on the Alaska mainland, by a bridge over the Gastineau Channel that separates them. The Alaska Department of Corrections has its headquarters in Douglas.