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.
Fort Wayne is a city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. As of 2008, the city had an estimated population of 251,591, ranking it the 73 largest city in the nation. It is the second largest city in Indiana, after Indianapolis. The municipality is located in northeastern Indiana, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of the Ohio border and 50 miles (80 km) south of the Michigan border. Fort Wayne is the principal city of the Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan area that encompasses Allen, Wells, and Whitley counties, for an estimated population of 411,154. In addition to those three counties, the Fort Wayne–Huntington–Auburn CSA, a combined statistical area, includes Adams, DeKalb, Huntington, and Noble counties, for a population of 570,779. Under the direction of American Revolutionary War statesman General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, the United States Army built Fort Wayne last in a series of forts near the Miami Indian village of Kekionga in 1794. Named in Wayne's honor, Fort Wayne established itself at the confluence of the St. Joseph River, St. Marys River, and Maumee River as a trading post for European settlers. The village was platted in 1823 and experienced tremendous growth after completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal. Today, Fort Wayne's economy is based on manufacturing, education, insurance, health care, logistics, and defense and security. The city has been an All-America City Award recipient in 1982, 1998, and 2009.