In The News

       Wittich v. O’Connell, No. DA 12-0199 (Montana Supreme Court May 7, 2013) shows the dangers existent when a contract has a fees clause. There, a Montana couple disputed $93.99 of an earlier default $3,000 judgment obtained by former attorneys representing them, although satisfying the balance. The firm apparently chose to expend fees in […]

       As reported by Andrew Galvin in a May 23, 2013 article in The Orange County Register, Orange County is paying nearly $2 million to settle a lawsuit brought by former Sheriff’s Lieutenant Bill Hunt, who was demoted to patrol duty after he lost an election to then-Sheriff Mike Carona in 2006. This case

  Skechers Class Action.      A federal judge in Louisville, Kentucky approved a $40 million class action settlement on May 13, 2013 involving more than 520,000 claims and more than 70 lawsuits nationwide over allegations that Skechers USA made unfounded ad claims about its footwear. The class action attorneys will split up $5 million in

  25% Percentage of Recovery Is the Bottom Line Here.      As reported by Teri Sforza in an April 29, 2013 article in The Orange County Register, attorneys representing the People of the State of California in a case against Toyota over alleged sudden-acceleration defect misrepresentations/omissions have forged a settlement of $16 million. Of that,

       Martha Nell, in an April 22, 2013 post in the ABA Journal, summarizes an interesting report from Florida’s Sun-Sentinel. Here is what she had to say on how attorneys are responding to noncash alternatives for payment of owed fees/expenses.      Attorneys told the Florida newspaper they’ve taken cars (including a Rolls Royce and

  Seattle Civil Rights Case — $1 Verdict; $92,000 In Fees Affirmed.      In Rutherford v. Seattle Police Dept./Chin, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a $1 jury verdict in favor of Plaintiff in a civil rights case where a man was held too long at gunpoint for a minor traffic infraction by Seattle

       As reported by Matt Fountain in a recent New Times post, the San Luis Obispo City Council has agreed to approve payment of $133,880 to some local attorneys who successfully represented nearly 100 homeless people charged with sleeping in their vehicles. A local superior court judge had ruled that the attorneys were entitled

       Our good friends at the National Association of Legal Fee Analysis (NALFA), especially its executive director Terry Jesse, have some interesting recent posts that we synopsize for your reading enjoyment. LCD Price-Fixing Class Action Likely Garners $308 Million In Fee Awards, Although There Is Some Inter-Plaintiff Counsel Squabbling.      In re TFT-LCD (Flat

  Governor Brown Trying to End Some of the Suits.      Don Thompson, in an Associated Press article on February 11, 2013, informs us that Governor Jerry Brown of California has been challenging federal court oversight of the state prison system by highlighting the high price tag coming from private law firms representing inmates, the