576. The judgment authorizing a class action describes the class whose members will be bound by the class action judgment, appoints the representative plaintiff and identifies the main issues to be dealt with collectively and the conclusions sought in relation to those issues. It describes any subclasses created and determines the district in which the class action is to be instituted.
The judgment orders the publication of a notice to class members; it may also order the representative plaintiff or a party to make information on the class action available to the class members, including by setting up a website.
The judgment also determines the time limit for opting out of the class. The opting-out period cannot be shorter than 30 days or longer than six months after the date of the notice to class members. The time limit for opting out is a strict time limit, although a class member, with leave of the court, may opt out after its expiry on proving that it was impossible in fact for the class member to act sooner.