Carlton Fields' 15th Annual Class Action Survey Shows Record Corporate Exposure as AI, Privacy Risks Surge – PR Newswire

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TAMPA, Fla., April 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Carlton Fields released its 15th annual Class Action Survey, providing an overview of key trends, risks, and best practices in class action management. The milestone 15th anniversary edition provides a rare long-view lens on how class action litigation has expanded, evolved, and become embedded in corporate risk management, revealing record corporate exposure to class actions and a sharp rise in AI- and privacy-related risks.
This annual Carlton Fields Class Action Survey reports on historical trends captured since the survey’s inception and includes information on emerging issues in class action litigation. When the inaugural survey was published in 2012, large companies averaged just 4–5 active class actions and allocated about 10% of their litigation budgets to these matters. Today, those numbers have increased significantly, and spending on class action defense exceeded $4 billion for the past two years.
“When we launched this survey 15 years ago, we set out to provide practical guidance to support clients in navigating class action litigation,” said Matt Allen, chair of the firm’s National Class Actions Practice and co-director of the firm’s annual Carlton Fields Class Action Survey. “What emerged was a first-of-its-kind resource, built on direct conversations with the key legal decision-makers managing these matters. At that time, we saw that class action lawsuits were on the rise across nearly every industry and practice area. That trend is even more evident today.”
Key highlights in this year’s survey include:
“Since its start, the survey has expanded in scope and sophistication, tracking how companies adapt to emerging risks, technologies, and litigation strategies,” said Jack Clabby, co-director of the Carlton Fields Class Action Survey. “This year’s survey shows that virtually every company to which we spoke faces class action claims regularly, highlighting the ongoing need for thoughtful strategy and informed decision-making. As we mark the 15th anniversary of the survey — and the 125th anniversary of our law firm — we continue to provide legal decision-makers with practical strategies for meeting the demands of today’s class action landscape.”
The 2026 Carlton Fields Class Action Survey is based on interviews with general counsel or senior legal officers at more than 300 Fortune 1000 and other large companies across a variety of industries, including banking and financial services, consumer goods, energy, high tech, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, professional services, and retail trade. Carlton Fields has litigated and counseled clients in hundreds of class actions for more than 40 years in federal and state courts across the nation.
To download the 2026 Carlton Fields Class Action Survey, please visit www.classactionsurvey.com.
About Carlton Fields: Carlton Fields has approximately 350 attorneys and government and financial services consultants serving clients from offices in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C. The firm is known for its national litigation practice, including class action defense, trial practice, white-collar representation, and high-stakes appeals; its insurance practice, including life and financial lines, property and casualty, reinsurance, and title insurance; its regulatory practice; and its handling of sophisticated business transactions and corporate counseling for domestic and international clients. For additional information, visit www.carltonfields.com. (Carlton Fields practices law in California through Carlton Fields, LLP.)
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