Class action litigation brings a particular set of investigative challenges. The scope of the cases, often involving hundreds or even thousands of potential parties, creates organizational and logistical hurdles for the investigator. To be effective, investigators must be skilled at organizing documents and data to highlight relevant evidence in a cost-effective manner. Investigators must also use their interview skills with potential class members, who often come from divergent backgrounds and regions of the country.

PII has considerable experience in class action matters, including wage and hour disputes, discrimination allegations, and consumer fraud. The firm has organized and coordinated targeted mailings to potential clients, set-up and staffed toll-free "800" numbers for use by potential class-members and witnesses, and located sources of critical testimony and documents. PII understands that the investigator must be both a fact collector and an analyst, combining computer databases with old-school investigative techniques to find the facts and process the information for counsel.

PII has also worked on the settlement phases of class actions, serving as an independent consultant and investigator for the courts or the litigation parties. Most notably, PII was the principal investigator for the Office of Civil Rights Monitor that was created as part of the Consent Decree settlement in the Denny’s Restaurant discrimination litigation. In addition, Keith Rohman, PII’s founder, serves as a member of the Equity Oversight Panel of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, an entity formed as part of the Bouman settlement, which grew from class action litigation involving a gender discrimination claim.

Cellular phone companies depend largely on part-time and temporary workers. In a case involving potential wage and hour violations at one of the nation’s largest mobile phone providers, PII investigators conducted telephone interviews with former salespeople living in 25 states. The task was complicated by the transient nature of the employees, who were mostly in their twenties. Despite the logistical challenges, PII obtained declarations that the plaintiffs used in opposition to summary judgment motions.