Mealey's Attorney Fees : Mealey's : Legal News & Analysis

Mealey's Attorney Fees

August 01, 2025
7th Circuit Affirms Lawyer Sanction In Case Involving Disputed Painting

CHICAGO — The Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has affirmed $2.52 million in sanctions and attorney fees assessed against an attorney who represented two plaintiffs who sought a court declaration that a painting was created by a famous artist, who disclaimed the work as having been done by someone with a similar name, finding that the district court did not abuse its discretion by awarding sanctions after earlier denying the artist’s motion for summary judgment.
July 31, 2025
7th Circuit Upholds Dismissal, Monetary Sanctions For Software Engineer, Lawyer

CHICAGO — Citing inconsistent testimony and multiplying proceedings in an employment dispute, a Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel affirmed a trial court’s decision to impose sanctions in the form of dismissal, costs and attorney fees against a fired employee of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and his lawyer.
July 31, 2025
University Of Pittsburgh’s $7.85M Pandemic Closure Class Settlement Approved

PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh’s $7,850,000 class settlement to end a case by students who sued over the school’s failure to refund tuition and housing, dining and student fees paid for the spring 2020 semester when classes were moved online due to the coronavirus pandemic was granted final approval by a federal judge in Pennsylvania.
July 31, 2025
2nd Circuit: Adapter’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Rights Fully Terminated By Author

NEW YORK — A panel in the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals agreed with a New York federal judge that a publishing company’s rights to develop a stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” were fully terminated when Lee served the company with a notice of termination in 2011, rejecting the argument that the company still had rights to stage an adaptation created under an agreement.
July 28, 2025
Judge Gives Final Approval To $3.57M Similasan Eye Product Class Settlement

DENVER — A federal judge in Colorado has granted final approval to a $3.57 million settlement between the maker of nonprescription health care products and plaintiffs who claim that it sold products without approval from U.S. Food and Drug Administration, noting that nearly 100,000 claim forms have been filed.
July 24, 2025
$5.9M Settlement Of Class Action Against Former ESOP Trustee Gets Final OK

CHICAGO — An Illinois federal judge granted final approval to a $5.9 million class settlement resolving an Employee Retirement Income Security Act against the former trustee of an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP); according to the named plaintiff, the net settlement averages more than $2,000 per class member.
July 23, 2025
Judge Awards $98,280 In Attorney Fees For Asbestos Screening Appeal

MISSOULA, Mont. — BNSF Railway Co. is entitled to $98,280 in attorney fees on appeal after prevailing in its case alleging that a medical screening company submitted false claims to a Medicare program for Libby, Mont., residents diagnosed with asbestos-related disease, a Montana federal judge ruled.
July 22, 2025
Panel Affirms Ruling Denying Attorney Fees To Guaranty Fund In Coverage Row

CHICAGO — An Illinois appellate court affirmed a lower court’s ruling denying a motion for attorney fees and costs filed by the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund in a workers’ compensation coverage dispute, agreeing with the lower court’s ruling because neither state law nor the insurance policy provides for awarding attorney fees or costs in this action seeking a declaration of coverage.
July 22, 2025
State, Federal Suits Over Health Care Firm’s Data Breach Settle For $6.5 Million

ST. LOUIS — A Missouri state court judge granted final approval to an agreement that settles lawsuits against a health management services firm from two state courts and a federal court with a settlement fund of $6.5 million and attorney fees of $2 million.
July 22, 2025
Judge Approves Injunctive Relief-Only Settlement Of CareFirst Data Breach Suit

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A District of Columbia federal judge granted final approval to a settlement that resolved the lone remaining claim against CareFirst Inc. in a decade-old class action over a 2014 data breach, deeming the agreement, which provides only injunctive relief for the consolidated class, “fair, reasonable, and adequate.”
July 21, 2025
7th Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment In ERISA Delinquent Contributions Row

ST. LOUIS — Concluding that there is a genuine dispute regarding an agent’s “intent to be personally bound by the terms of the trust agreement,” the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reversed summary judgment against the sole member of a dissolved company in a multiemployer plan Employee Retirement Income Security Act case, also vacating an associated award of attorney fees.
July 18, 2025
Alabama Supreme Court Reverses $174,987 Cost, Fee Award For Additional Explanation

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court has reversed a trial court’s award of $174,987 in attorney fees and costs for the victorious defendant in a commercial lease lawsuit and remanded the issue to the trial court for more adequate support of the award.
July 18, 2025
New Mexico Supreme Court Reverses, Remands Attorney Fee Award In Workers’ Comp Case

SANTA FE, N.M. — Under the attorney fee provision of the state Workers’ Compensation Act, “a subsequent injury that flows from a primary workplace injury may constitute a ‘single accidental injury’” and a worker may collect the $22,500 fee cap for the primary injury and any subsequent accidental injuries, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled, reversing an award of attorney fees and remanding to the workers’ compensation judge.
July 17, 2025
Denial Of Postjudgment Fees For Class Counsel In Coupon Settlement Upheld

SAN FRANCISCO — A Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel affirmed a trial court’s ruling that class counsel’s postjudgment attorney fees motion was untimely following a settlement by a massage and skin care franchisor accused of violating its membership agreement by periodically increasing membership fees.
July 17, 2025
Judge OKs Employee Data Pact, Cuts Attorney Fees Request Of 1.6 Times Recovery

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A federal judge in California granted final approval of a class settlement in an employee data case but slashed the requested attorney fee award from 1.6 times the gross settlement amount to 25% of the net settlement fund, opining that while the class members’ recovery was “not inhibit[ed]” by the request and the agreement containing a clear-sailing provision was “non-collusive,” such a request could not be considered “reasonable.”
July 15, 2025
Student-Athletes’ Counsel Awarded Hundreds Of Millions In Fees After NIL Settlement

OAKLAND, Calif. — A federal judge in California awarded attorneys representing student-athletes, who settled for more than $2.5 billion name, image and likeness (NIL) claims with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and five conferences, hundreds of millions of dollars in attorney fees now as well as the opportunity for two types of future yearly fees; the judge also approved more than $9 million in costs and granted class counsel’s request for service awards of $5,000 to $125,000 for each of the class representatives.
July 14, 2025
Case Disputing Attorney Fees In Benicar MDL Sent Back To New Jersey District Court

PHILADELPHIA — The Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on July 11 sent a dispute over the amount of attorney fees awarded to a law firm for its work in the Benicar multidistrict litigation back to a New Jersey federal court, finding that the lower court erred in denying a motion to remand.
July 14, 2025
Nevada High Court Says Attorney Fees Award Not Based On Substantial Evidence

LAS VEGAS — The Nevada Supreme Court remanded a trial court’s award of attorney fees as a sanction for a plaintiff’s failure to produce documents in a dispute over a property sale after determining that the amount of the trial court’s award was not based on substantial evidence as required under Nevada law.
July 11, 2025
Contractor’s Insurer Must Defend Developers For Water, Other Damages

LOS ANGELES — A contractor’s commercial general liability insurer agreed to defend the developers of a residential development as additional insureds, and the homeowners’ subsequent filing of an action alleging that the contractor’s improper installation of concrete flatwork and foundation systems caused water intrusion and other damage to their homes triggered the insurer’s duty to defend, a federal judge in California ruled.
July 11, 2025
5th Circuit Affirms Special Ed Decision, Awards Parent Attorney Fees

NEW ORLEANS — The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has affirmed a district court ruling finding that a Mississippi school district violated the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the lower court’s denial of compensatory educational services to a student and the court’s finding that the parent was entitled to attorney fees as the prevailing party under the federal law.
July 09, 2025
Settlement Of Derivative Complaint Against Peloton Over Safety Approved

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — A federal magistrate judge in New York gave final approval to a settlement of a consolidated shareholder derivative action brought against current and former Peloton Interactive Inc. officers and directors that requires Peloton to make corporate governance enhancements regarding product safety.
July 09, 2025
10th Circuit Won’t Award Attorney Fees For Presuit Appeal In LTD Benefits Row

DENVER — Affirming dismissal of a case filed under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on July 8 rejected a bid to make a long-term disability (LTD) insurer pay attorney fees for an administrative appeal that got benefits reinstated.
July 09, 2025
Attorney Fees In Broiler Chicken Antitrust Case Modified, More Settlements OK’d

CHICAGO — A Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel affirmed with modification attorney fees awarded to counsel for the end user consumer plaintiff (EUCP) class in an antitrust case accusing broiler sellers of fixing the prices for chicken, opining that class counsel were entitled to 26.6% of the net common fund; the panel’s ruling was filed two days after another group of settlements between the EUCPs and a number of sellers totaling $22.35 million was granted final approval by a federal judge in Illinois.
July 07, 2025
3rd Circuit Affirms $3.2M In Attorney Fees, Costs In Wawa Data Breach Suit

PITTSBURGH — Assessing a trial court judge’s review on remand of a $3.2 million attorney fees and costs award to consumers’ class counsel in a class action over Wawa Inc.’s 2019 data breach, a Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel upheld the judge’s finding that the award did not contain a clear sailing agreement and was not the result of collusion.
June 30, 2025
Judge Enters Injunction In Penn State Trademark Case, Denies Attorney Fees

HARRISBURG, Pa. — After a jury found in favor of The Pennsylvania State University on its trademark claims against an apparel maker, a Pennsylvania federal judge issued a permanent injunction against the clothier barring it from using the university’s trademarked logos or phrases on apparel items.