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.
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, within the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,358. A special census taken in 2008 showed the population to be 144,560. Naperville is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago, neighboring Aurora, Rockford, and Joliet. Approximately 100,000 Naperville residents live in DuPage County, while about 50,000 reside in Will County. Naperville was one of the ten fastest growing communities in the United States during the 1990s. Once a farming town, Naperville has evolved into a wealthy city due in part to a migration of professionals in the 1990s seeking jobs and globally renowned public schools. A number of high-tech companies are located in the city, including Nalco Holding Company, Tellabs, Alcatel-Lucent and the BP North American Chemical Headquarters. In 2008, Fortune ranked Naperville as among the "best places to live and launch" a business in the United States, ranking 29th out of 100. In 2006, Money magazine listed Naperville as #2 on its annual list of America's best small cities to live in. The city took the #3 position on the 2005 and 2008 lists.