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Attorneys have been seeking as much as $200 million in legal fees from the $626 million settlement. -TFA

by jvanderbot 5y ago

judge2020 5y ago
Better than some class-action settlement splits, I suppose.
- jandrese 5y ago
  It also depends on how strict the claim process is. Do they need a signed doctors note from 2014 to take part or some other obnoxious legal roadblock? I agree that at least it at least isn't a spit in the face like those "coupon for 5% off your next purchase of bottled water" while the lawyers pocket hundreds of millions.
gruez 5y ago
>as much as do they typically get what they ask for? or does the judge strike it down?
mLuby 5y ago
How do they justify that? Or is it part of some agreement with the primary claimant that they'll take the case for free but get some % of the winnings? Either way, mixing justice and profit feels slimy.
- gruez 5y ago
  >Either way, mixing justice and profit feels slimy. It's slimy but it's still the least bad system. The alternative is the state having sole authority in compensating the victims (judging from the fact this went to trial, my guess is that they would have paid the victims far less), or leaving it to non-profits (which have limited budgets and are up against tax-payer funded lawyers).
  - mLuby 5y ago
    Ah, what I meant was that lawyers should be paid for their billed hours, but shouldn't be able to earn percentages of settlements.
    - azinman2 5y ago
      If they lose, then there’s no one to bill. The percentage makes them willing to take on the risk and millions of dollars it costs to try the case.
    - gruez 5y ago
      That just incentivizes lawyers to go after the most complex (more billable hours) and sure-to-win (greater expected value) cases. If you want to maximize justice delivered (ie. victims getting their compensation), using dollars seem way better than any of those two metrics that a flat-rate system would incentivize.
      - mLuby 5y ago
        Compensation of $3,000 if you can prove you've been harmed is barely justice.
        xboxnolifes 5y ago
        Your proposed change would likely bump the per person payout from ~$4,400 to ~$6,300. In such a case I'd dare to guess you'd still feel the same way about whether receiving $6,300 for being poisoned is justice.
        mLuby 5y ago
        Yes, good point.

Attorneys have been seeking as much as $200 million in legal fees from the $626 million settlement. -TFA

judge2020 5y ago

Better than some class-action settlement splits, I suppose.

jandrese 5y ago
It also depends on how strict the claim process is. Do they need a signed doctors note from 2014 to take part or some other obnoxious legal roadblock? I agree that at least it at least isn't a spit in the face like those "coupon for 5% off your next purchase of bottled water" while the lawyers pocket hundreds of millions.

gruez 5y ago

>as much as do they typically get what they ask for? or does the judge strike it down?

mLuby 5y ago

How do they justify that? Or is it part of some agreement with the primary claimant that they'll take the case for free but get some % of the winnings? Either way, mixing justice and profit feels slimy.

gruez 5y ago
>Either way, mixing justice and profit feels slimy. It's slimy but it's still the least bad system. The alternative is the state having sole authority in compensating the victims (judging from the fact this went to trial, my guess is that they would have paid the victims far less), or leaving it to non-profits (which have limited budgets and are up against tax-payer funded lawyers).
- mLuby 5y ago
  Ah, what I meant was that lawyers should be paid for their billed hours, but shouldn't be able to earn percentages of settlements.
  - azinman2 5y ago
    If they lose, then there’s no one to bill. The percentage makes them willing to take on the risk and millions of dollars it costs to try the case.
  - gruez 5y ago
    That just incentivizes lawyers to go after the most complex (more billable hours) and sure-to-win (greater expected value) cases. If you want to maximize justice delivered (ie. victims getting their compensation), using dollars seem way better than any of those two metrics that a flat-rate system would incentivize.
    - mLuby 5y ago
      Compensation of $3,000 if you can prove you've been harmed is barely justice.
      - xboxnolifes 5y ago
        Your proposed change would likely bump the per person payout from ~$4,400 to ~$6,300. In such a case I'd dare to guess you'd still feel the same way about whether receiving $6,300 for being poisoned is justice.
        mLuby 5y ago
        Yes, good point.