The answer depends on the nature of the lawsuit and your own individual circumstances. Often, class actions seek recovery for a large group of people, however, individual damages may be small. For instance, if a mortgage company is improperly charging interest and as a result every class member paid $100 more than he or she should have been charged, then the cost of litigation may make it impractical to file such a case individually. On the other hand, if you have substantial damages and a serious claim, then you should talk to a lawyer about whether to file your own lawsuit.