A state appeals court has approved a $1.1 billion settlement in the California consumer class action case against Microsoft, one of many parallel consumer antitrust class actions against the tech giant filed in states across the country. Plaintiffs lawyers at Townsend and Townsend and Crew and other firms are likely to share roughly $101 million in fees for representing software buyers in the state; class members were offered vouchers good on future purchases, which is not how the lawyers are taking their pay, of course. (Marie-Anne Hogarth, “Law Firms Closer to Raking In $101M in Fees in Microsoft Case”, The Recorder, Jan. 12). Oh well, at least it doesn’t sound as bad as the Minnesota settlement.
Update: Microsoft fees in Calif.
A state appeals court has approved a $1.1 billion settlement in the California consumer class action case against Microsoft, one of many parallel consumer antitrust class actions against the tech giant filed in states across the country. Plaintiffs lawyers at Townsend and Townsend and Crew and other firms are likely to share roughly $101 million […]
2 Comments
I wonder…
If there was a law that the lawyers be paid in the same manner as their clients, would the settlement be in rebate coupons towards future purchases (In essence creating more business for the plaintiff)?
I’m willing to bet no, that we’d see a lot more “cash” settlements.
Another Microsoft settlement
Via Walter Olson comes word that Microsoft will pay $1.1 billion to settle a consumer class-action lawsuit in California, yet another case born of the federal government\’s long-running antitrust prosecution. Olson reports that class-action attorneys w…