Eleventh Circuit Invalidates Class Action Individual Incentive Awards

By Greg Mersol on September 21, 2020 Posted in Incentive Awards

Yes, you read that right. Class action litigation is fueled largely by the availability of often large attorney fee awards. To get a class action case in the first place, however, attorneys bringing them often entice a potential individual plaintiff into the role of class representative with the prospect of a monetary “incentive award,” usually in the thousands of dollars. Indeed, the … Continue Reading

Sixth Circuit Sets Out Guidelines for Lodestar Fee Awards in Class Actions

By Greg Mersol on August 18, 2020 Posted in Class Action Litigation

Attorney fee awards are a major driver of class action litigation – both in the employment and other contexts. How they are awarded, and what is “reasonable” has been an ongoing source of contention in many cases. A recent opinion from the Sixth Circuit provides some guidance and also places limits on methodology used by … Continue Reading

California Appellate Court Rejects Class Action Settlement Due to Excessive Attorney Fees

By Greg Mersol on November 19, 2014 Posted in Wage and Hour

Pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered, so the saying goes. As we’ve noted before on Oct. 7, June 5, and Dec. 18, courts are starting to examine attorney fee awards in class action settlements much more closely, and the results often aren’t exactly pretty. The most recent example is the case of Lofton v. … Continue Reading