(MONEY Magazine) – In mid-June a group of federal judges are meeting to consider a proposal that would make it tougher to bring class-action securities fraud or price-fixing lawsuits charging that many people have suffered small losses. "It would effectively tell companies that they can steal millions, provided it costs the average victim less than $25," says Columbia University law professor John Coffee. A second proposal under review could encourage plaintiffs' attorneys to forge settlements that may not be in the best interests of their clients. Both would need approval by the Supreme Court.

You can get the proposals and submit comments by writing to the Standing Committee of Rules and Practices and Procedures, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Washington, D.C. 20544.

--Ruth Simon