U.S. District Judge William Orrick of the Northern District of California. Photo by S. Todd Rogers. 'Courts Have to Do Better': Juul MDL Judge Dings Diversity Deficits at Plaintiffs Firms
At a Monday hearing, U.S. District Judge William Orrick, in the Northern District of California, allowed up to $150 million in attorney fees to move forward but questioned the lack of diversity among the 62 plaintiffs firms in the Juul multidistrict litigation.
December 18, 2023 at 03:23 PM
5 minute read
Diversity
What You Need to Know
- U.S. District Judge William Orrick, who has spoken publicly about diversity in MDLs, required plaintiffs lawyers to provide a demographic report.
- Co-lead plaintiffs counsel Sarah London shared the judge's diversity concerns. 'It is a categorical problem in our bar,' she told him.
- Two objectors had challenged the fees, which included $76.5 million in a class action settlement and common benefit fees in three other Juul agreements.
A federal judge allowed plaintiffs lawyers in Juul Labs Inc. settlements to move forward on up to $150 million in attorney fees but said it was "troubling" that not a single lawyer among the 62 firms in the litigation was Black or Latino.
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