Ted Frank: A Conscientious Objector

He has already picked up some wins, including a significant ruling in August in a class action against Plantronics and the company formerly known as Motorola Inc. concerning Bluetooth headsets. The Ninth Circuit rebuffed a deal that would have paid no money to class members but would have given $100,000 to four nonprofit groups dedicated to hearing loss and $850,000 to the plaintiffs’ lawyers. The lawyers are now back in the lower court, trying to hash out a new deal.

admin
October 31, 2011
Press Highlights

P&G’s Pampers deal pooh-poohed

Ted Frank, founder of the Center for Class Action Fairness, had objected to the Bluetooth settlement and argued the successful appeal. The law is clear that the Dry Max settlement should also be rejected, and his organization will appeal if it isn’t, he said.

Image credit: Jeremy Keith

admin
September 2, 2011
Press Highlights

Headset Settlement That Paid Lawyers, Not Clients, Is Rejected

The decision provides yet more evidence that the real problem with these settlements lies with the judges who approve them. Class-action lawyers are peddling absolution to their targets: In exchange for a settlement that includes lucrative fees, they can obtain a court decree ending the possibility of any further litigation over the same claims.

admin
August 19, 2011
Press Highlights

Court Vacates Predatory Bluetooth Headset Deal

The objectors then appealed to the 9th Circuit, which reversed and vacated the settlement."We agree that the disparity between the value of the class recovery and class counsel's compensation raises at least an inference of unfairness, and that the current record does not adequately dispel the possibility that class counsel bargained away a benefit to the class in exchange for their own interests," Judge Michael Daly Hawkins wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel sitting in Pasadena.

Image credit: Jeremy Keith

admin
August 19, 2011
Press Highlights

9th Circ. Chucks Bluetooth Deal Due To High Atty Fees

"We got a very good ruling about the importance of these issues," Frank said. "There are a lot of settlements structured like this, and we got a very firm ruling from the Ninth Circuit that this is a problem."

admin
August 19, 2011
Press Highlights

Illegal coupon settlement in Nevada

We are mystified how the plaintiffs intend to justify the settlement; perhaps they will contend that the $10 discount "certificates" issued to the class are not coupons. The attorneys and class representatives are asking for $1.46 million without even an attempt to predict the redemption rate of these certificates.

admin
April 29, 2011
Blog

Sobel v. Hertz Corporation

The Center’s clients objected to this settlement over car rental fees wherein plaintiffs’ lawyers sought $1.5M for themselves but only coupons for the class; the court rejected the settlement.

Photo credit: Wikimedia

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April 7, 2011
Victories

Marek v. Lane

An opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts expressed concerns over the practice of cy pres, acknowledging the need for the Supreme Court to address the issue in a future case.

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March 18, 2011
Past Cases

HP Inkjet Printer Litigation

The Ninth Circuit held that the Class Action Fairness Act requires that when class members obtain coupons in a settlement, the lawyers’ fees attributable to those coupons must themselves be based on the value of coupons that are redeemed.

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December 30, 2010
Victories

In re: Classmates.com Consolidated Litigation

The Center’s client objected to a settlement over deceptive advertising that promised over $1M to plaintiffs’ lawyers and about $100,000 to the class. The court upheld the objection, eventually reducing the plaintiffs’ lawyers’ fees and sanctioning them for abusive litigation tactics.

Photo credit: www.weisspaarz.com

admin
November 18, 2010
Victories