Not only did class counsel make no effort to distribute any money to the class here, but there are obvious conflicts of interest associated with the cy pres recipients, Frank asserted, noting that Google is a regular donor to four of the entities and co-lead class counsel Brian Strange is board chairman of another, Public Counsel.
The Center for Class Action Fairness filed its opening brief challenging a class action settlement in a consumer privacy case against Google because it provides millions of dollars to attorneys and zero dollars to the class.
The Center for Class Action Fairness (CCAF) filed an objection arguing against a cynical settlement in a Facebook class action that provides $3.9 million in fees and expenses to the plaintiffs’ attorneys and only a vague 22-word addition to Facebook’s “Help Center” for the class members.
Yesterday, in a victory for CCAF, the court decided to reduce the attorneys’ grossly disproportionate fee request by 25 percent, from more than $17 million to $13 million.
In an objection filed Monday, class member Anna St. John, an attorney for a class action fairness group, said the deal unfairly enriches the attorneys involved and offers users only a scant, 22-word temporary change to one of Facebook's help pages.
"Cynical." That's the descriptor lawyers at the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Center for Class Action Fairness used to describe a proposed no-cash deal Facebook Inc. reached to settle a privacy class action earlier this year.
The parties reached a lopsided settlement in which the plaintiffs' attorneys recover $3.9 million while the class gets injunctive relief consisting of 22 words regarding Facebook's practices added to a Facebook help page.
"Although these class members had their financial data stolen, they are releasing future-damages claims against Target in exchange for nothing," Holyoak said.
CCAF recently objected to the proposed class action settlement, class certification, and class attorneys' fees request in Kumar v. Salov North America Corp. on behalf of class member Ted Frank. The plaintiffs in this case alleged the defendant deceptively marketed their Filippo Berio brand olive oil as “Imported from Italy,” when many of the olives used to make the oil came from other countries.
On July 7, 2017, the district court granted final approval of the settlement, even though more than 80 percent of the settlement fund would go to class counsel rather than the class members.
