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CCAF Objects to Metropolitan Museum of Art Class Action Settlement

Class member and Center for Class Action Fairness attorney Anna St. John objected to the settlement approval, class certification, and request for attorneys' fees in Saska v. Metropolitan Museum of Art on January 27, 2017. The original case claims that the Museum's "pay what you wish" admission policy deceived the public in violation of state law. The proposed settlement provides class members with near-worthless injunctive relief, primarily in the form of changes…

CCAF Objects to Metropolitan Museum of Art Class Action Settlement
Image credit: Wikimedia

Google Pays $5.5M To No One: Cy Pres Problems & Expert Cures

The National Law Review reports on the Center for Class Action Fairness's objection to a Google class action settlement. Class members claim Google used computer code to circumvent privacy settings, allowing advertisers and third parties to track their cookies and browsing activities. In settlement, Google offered to pay $5.5 million to a handful of internet technology and privacy rights institutions for internet privacy research. Class counsel agreed. With all advocates on…

Google Pays $5.5M To No One: <em>Cy Pres</em> Problems & Expert Cures

Public-interest firm calls $5.5 million settlement with Google over privacy settings ‘unacceptable’

The center argues in its filing that class members “will see not one penny.” “This settlement exemplifies the problem of class action attorneys behaving as if they have no clients other than the general public,” Adam Schulman said in a statement. “It is unacceptable to propose a settlement that waives class members’ rights yet provides them absolutely nothing in return.”

Public-interest firm calls $5.5 million settlement with Google over privacy settings ‘unacceptable’

Critics hit law firms’ bills after class-action lawsuits

The Boston Globe discusses Thornton Law Firm's legal fees in class-action lawsuits with the Center for Class Action Fairness's founder Ted Frank. Critics of the way lawyers are paid in class-action lawsuits acknowledge that firms often dramatically mark up the rates of their lower-paid attorneys when seeking legal fees in court, but they say Thornton has pushed the practice to an extreme. “This happens all the time,” said Ted Frank, a lawyer…

Critics hit law firms’ bills after class-action lawsuits

Challenging Class Action Law’s ‘Professional Objectors’

Earlier this week the Center for Class Action Fairness filed a motion to intervene and seek disgorgement from for-profit “professional objectors” in Pearson v. NBTY, Inc., a case dealing with allegedly deceptive marketing practices by makers of health supplements. The Center became involved in the case in 2014 when it objected to a class action settlement that would have provided attorneys $4.5 million but less than $900,000 to the class. On appeal, the Seventh Circuit agreed and reversed approval of the…

Challenging Class Action Law’s ‘Professional Objectors’
Image credit: Shiela Sund

Footlong Subs and Other Frivolous Lawsuits

In class-action lawsuits the threat of astronomical liability drives many defendants to settle — even if the plaintiffs’ chances of success are negligible. But because there’s only so much money that defendants are willing to spend, such nuisance lawsuits often lead to settlements where the attorneys get more than their fair share. It works like a formula: The plaintiffs’ attorneys and the few named representative plaintiffs divvy up the entire cash proceeds, leaving the remainder of the class with a potpourri of worthless window dressing.

Footlong Subs and Other Frivolous Lawsuits
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