Harvard Law Professor Changes His Mind Regarding Attorney’s Fees

As we have previously reported, back in September 2017, Judge Anita B. Brody appointed Harvard Law School professor William B. Rubenstein to address questions surrounding the $112.5 million settlement in the NFL concussion litigation. The final settlement established an uncapped fund that would compensate a class of over 20,000 former NFL players. In May 2017, a collection of law firms representing the players, filed a petition seeking $112.5 million common-benefit fee to compensate the class of attorneys.

In his original assessment, Professor Rubenstein said …

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Harvard Law Professor’s Assessment on Attorney’s Fees Sparks Opposition

As we previously reported, lingering issues over the NFL concussion litigation settlement have reemerged. The final settlement established an uncapped fund that would last over a 65-year period, to compensate a class of over 20,000 former NFL players. In May 2017, a collection of law firms representing the players, filed a petition seeking $112.5 million common-benefit fee to compensate the class of attorneys. Unlike traditional common-fund cases where the common-benefit fees are calculated as a percentage of total recovery; in this case, the NFL

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Student-Athletes Square Up Against Lone Objector to Attorneys Fee Award in $209 Million NCAA Settlement

The fight over legal fees from the second-largest class-action settlement in NCAA history continues. One sole student-athlete objected to the $41 million attorneys’ fee award, which is 20 percent of the $208.7 million settlement. NCAA Division I football player, Darrin Duncan, called the fee award unfair and wanted to apply to the “mega fund rule,” which decreases fee awards as the settlement total increases.

Plaintiffs’ class counsel had argued back in September that the fee request was reasonable considering the Ninth Circuit’s 25 percent fee …

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NFL Concussion Litigation Settlement Results in a Flurry of Objections

The five-year NFL concussion litigation finally came to a conclusion when a settlement was reached, however, while the court has given final approvals regarding several objections and opening the registration for all class members, lingering issues still remain regarding the allocation of attorneys’ fees, as counsel for thousands of class members are scrambling to take their fair share.

The concussion litigation settlement established a bottomless fund over a sixty-five year period to compensate a class of over 20,000 former NFL players. The deal offered …

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Former NFL Players Object to Class Attorneys’ Fees from the Concussion Settlement Fund

The former NFL players and their families seeking to recover from an uncapped NFL concussion litigation have objected to an additional five percent set-aside sought by the class attorneys on the case.

As previously reported, in April 2015, the NFL entered into a settlement agreement with almost 22,000 former players, which established a 65-year span to compensate the class members. The deal offers payments ranging from $1.5 million to $5 million for each player, or the player’s estate, who suffered from a serious …

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Ex-NFL Player Requests NFL Pay Attorneys’ Fees

A retired football player is asking the Maryland court to order the National Football League to pay his legal costs after years of battling over disability benefits. In the long sought battle, he currently owes his attorneys $225,312 in attorneys’ fees and $3,098 in filing costs. The player argues his disability benefits case meets the merit test applied by the Fourth Circuit and his fees are reasonable.

Jesse Solomon played has a linebacker in the NFL for nine years. The Vikings drafted him in …

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Music Company Wants Attorneys’ Fees and Costs Following Led Zeppelin Victory

On Thursday, July 7, 2016, Warner/Chappell Music Inc., the publishing company who was named as a co-defendant in the “Stairway to Heaven” copyright lawsuit that wrapped up last month, filed a motion to recover nearly $800,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs in California federal court. The fee request comes on the heels of a successful defense for the music company and mega-hit British rock band, where a jury concluded that frontmen Jimmy Page and Robert Plant had not infringed on any copyright in writing their …

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Sir Mix-a-Lot Awarded Attorney’s Fees Against Former Collaborator

On Tuesday, October 27, 2015, U.S. District Court Judge Robert S. Lasnik ruled in favor of hip-hop legend Sir Mix-A-Lot, ordering plaintiff David Ford to pay more than $20,000 in attorney’s fees and other expenses. The ruling came as the latest decision in the copyright suit filed by Ford in March, and follows Judge Lasnik’s dismissal of the suit in September.

Ford, who collaborated on a number of tracks with Sir Mix-A-Lot in the late 1980s and early 90s, sought to recover for copyright violations …

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An Uphill Battle: NCAA Embroiled In Federal Litigation On Multiple Fronts

The NCAA is under fire, defending cases in both the Northern District of California and the Ninth Circuit.

The California proceedings are now focused on attorneys’ fees – specifically, whether or not the NCAA has to pay them. Earlier this month, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins, in an opinion that referenced the popular television series “Game of Thrones,” awarded Plaintiff Ed O’Bannon $46 million in attorneys’ fees. The NCAA opposed the award, claiming that O’Bannon’s legal team – which is comprised of over 30 …

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Beastie Boys Lose the Fight for their Right…to Full Attorneys’ Fees

On Monday, a federal judge awarded the Beastie Boys far less in attorneys’ fees than they had hoped for. This follows a lawsuit filed by the Beastie Boys against energy drink company Monster Energy Co. for the company’s infringement on Beastie Boys’ songs in a promotional video.

The Beastie Boys had initially requested $2.4 million in attorneys’ fees after their $1.7 million victory over Monster Energy. Instead, the judge’s ruling gave the group $667,000. The judge’s reasoning behind this was that the Beastie Boys chose …

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