Court to decide if good lawyers can get more money
Court Alerts
The Supreme Court will decide whether a judge can award more money to winning lawyers because the judge thought they did a good job.
The high court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from the state of Georgia over attorney fees for lawyers who sued to force dramatic changes in Georgia's foster care system.
U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob awarded them $10.5 million in attorney fees, a $4.5 million enhancement on top of a $6 million award. Shoob said he increased the award because of the exceptional results that children's advocates achieved. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to overturn his decision.
The class-action lawsuit against Georgia, settled in 2005, prompted the state to reduce worker case loads, improve investigations into abuse and prevent overcrowding in foster homes. Gov. Sonny Perdue, one of the defendants in the lawsuit, authorized hiring 500 additional child welfare workers.
Shoob said the attorneys deserved the award because their lawsuit had beneficial results despite the state's resistance to reform. The state settled the case after fighting it for nearly three years.
Lawyers for Georgia say appeals courts around the nation have split on whether a judge can give lawyers extra money based on their performance.
Related listings
-
N.Y. Court Ruling Goes to U.S. Club in America's Cup Battle
Court Alerts 04/03/2009The lengthy legal tussle between America’s Cup sailing teams BMW Oracle Racing and Alinghi over who has the right to challenge Alinghi for the next Cup appears to have taken a decisive tack in BMW Oracle's favor. On Thursday, the New York State Court...
-
Judge freezes assets of Madoff sons, executives
Court Alerts 04/02/2009A judge froze the assets of disgraced Wall Street legend Bernard Madoff's two sons and five executives who ran hedge fund portfolios that funneled money into his Ponzi scheme. The order by Connecticut Superior Court Judge Arthur Hiller, issued Monday...
-
Court refuses to throw out murder conviction
Court Alerts 03/31/2009The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to throw out a man's murder conviction even though a judge seated a juror that his lawyer wanted dismissed. In a unanimous opinion, the high court refused to reverse the conviction of Michael Rivera, who was found gu...
New York Commercial Litigation Law Firm - Woods Lonergan PLLC
Founded in 1993 by Managing Partner James F. Woods, Woods Lonergan PLLC has built a strong reputation as a resourceful and industrious firm that provides clients with clear, concise, and straightforward answers to their most challenging legal issues. Partner Lawrence R. Lonergan, who joined the firm in 2008, has been a friend and colleague to Mr. Woods for over 40 years and shares the same business philosophy. Woods Lonergan PLLC’s collective experience and expertise enables the firm to expeditiously and effectively analyze the increasing challenges clients face in an evolving business and legal world, in many instances, avoiding unnecessary time and expense to our clients. Our mission is simple: provide cutting-edge expertise and sound advice in select areas of the law for corporate and business clients. We thrive on providing each client with personalized attention, forceful representation, and a collaborative team effort that embraces collective knowledge.