1st Circuit Backs Sanctions Against Lieff Cabraser
Law360 covered the First Circuit's decision upholding sanctions against Class Counsel Firm Lieff Cabraser in the State Street case.
Judge orders Boston law firm to repay millions in inflated legal fees
“We’re gratified that the court recognized the problems we identified and went beyond the special master’s proposal to return millions of dollars to class members," said Frank.
Special Master Tells Class Counsel to Clean Up their Act
“All you need to do is punish the attorneys that are overbilling in a few of these cases,” Frank says, adding that disciplinary sanctions need to be on the table for there to be a true deterrent.
State Street Class Action Fee Probe Enmeshes Pension Fund Official
Wednesday’s hearing is likely to expose “substantial shenanigans,” said class action activist Ted Frank.
Court Appoints Special Master to Investigate Overbilling in Anthem Class Action
“I would never have appointed you…had I known you were going to pile on 53 law firms on this case,” Judge Lucy Koh of the Northern District of California reportedly told class counsel Thursday in the data privacy settlement of In re Anthem, Inc. Data Breach Litigation. Judge Koh agreed with a motion filed by the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute’s Center for Class Action Fairness that a special master should be appointed to investigate…
Judge Will Allow Class To Object To $75M State Street Fees
A Massachusetts federal judge credits the Center for Class Action Fairness with helping him "evolve" his thinking on a complicated and controversial class action case.
Thornton Law, others to pay $2m for probe of their bills
“It’s ironic, because any corporation caught telling investors something this misleading would surely face litigation from Labaton and Thornton,” Frank said after the hearing.
Judge Launches Investigation Into Law Firms’ Inflated Bills
“The judge is anticipating a real investigatory role for the special master. There’s $2 million in the pot – there’s no incentive to do a brief, perfunctory investigation.”
A federal judge is the latest to scrutinize Thornton Law
“This is very serious,” said Frank, a leading national critic of legal fees in class-action lawsuits. “The judge is anticipating a real investigatory role for the special master.”
Arkansas Teacher Retirement System v. State Street
A double billing error discovered by the Boston Globe and Ted Frank evolves into one of the most in-depth inquiries into securities suit billing. An appointed special master discovered undisclosed payment to attorneys who did no work in case, but plaintiffs' counsel tries to retain their $75 million fee. HLLI successfully argued for a reduced fee and defended the fee award on appeal as an amicus.
