BIG:
Above: Elephant Calisthenics
For those of you who are interested in the percentage of fee recoveries in mega-class action settlements, here is an excellent summary we share from National Association of Legal Fee Analysis’ (NALFA’s) June 22, 2011 post on its attorney’s fees website:
LARGEST CLASS ACTION FEE AWARDS IN U.S. HISTORY
Class Action Case
1. Multi-State Tobacco Litigation
$206 Billion Settlement; ?? Fee Award Percentage of Settlement
2. Enron
$7.272 Billion Settlement; 9.52% Fee Award Percentage
3. World Com
$6.133 Billion Settlement; 5.48% Fee Award Percentage
4. Vioxx (Merck)
$4.85 Billion Settlement; 6.49% Fee Award Percentage
5. Cobell (Dept. of the Interior)
$3.4 Billion Settlement; 3.40% Fee Award Percentage
6. Tyco
$3.2 Billion Settlement; 14.50% Fee Award Percentage
7. Cendant (2000)
$3.166 Billion Settlement; 1.73% Fee Award Percentage
8. AOL Time Warner
$2.5 Billion Settlement; 5.90% Fee Award Percentage
9. Nortel I
$1.142 Billion Settlement; 3.00% Fee Award Percentage
10. Royal Ahold
$1.1 Billion Settlement; 11.88% Fee Award Percentage
11. Nortel II
$1.074 Billion Settlement; 7.74% Fee Award Percentage
12. McKesson
$1.042 Billion Settlement; 7.64% Fee Award Percentage
13. Countrywide/KPMG
$624 Million Settlement; 7.59% Fee Award Percentage
14. Cardinal Health
$600 Million Settlement; 18.00% Fee Award Percentage
15. Lucent
$517 Million Settlement; 17.00% Fee Award Percentage
16. Bank America
$490 Million Settlement; 18.00% Fee Award Percentage
17. Dyengy, Inc.
$474 Million Settlement; 8.73% Fee Award Percentage
18. Adelphia
$460 Million Settlement; 21.40% Fee Award Percentage
19. Raytheon
$460 Million Settlement; 9.00% Fee Award Percentage
20. Waste Management II
$457 Million Settlement; 7.93% Fee Award Percentage
21. Global Crossing
$447.8 Million Settlement; 16.04% Fee Award Percentage
22. Health South
$445 Million Settlement; 15.25% Fee Award Percentage
23. Freddie Mac
$410 Million Settlement; 20.00% Fee Award Percentage
24. Qwest
$400 Million Settlement; 15.00% Fee Award Percentage
25. Cendant (2006)
$374 Million Settlement; 7.71% Fee Award Percentage
Source: NALFA Research Library