Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California. Photo: Jason Doiy/ALMRoundup Special Master's Report Recommends Lead Counsel Get $0 in Common Benefit Fees
Lead counsel called a special master's recommendation to return $24.4 million in fees "insulting" and full of "misunderstandings."
February 05, 2025 at 06:03 PM
8 minute read
What You Need to Know
- In a Jan. 15 report, special master William Foster concluded that the 8% common benefit assessment on other lawyers with Roundup cases was arbitrary and unfair.
- U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, four years ago, struck down lead counsel’s original common benefit fee request, which would have created a potential $800 million fund.
- All three lead counsel objected to the report, and one of them, Aimee Wagstaff, resigned from leadership of the Roundup MDL.
A special master in the Roundup multidistrict litigation recommended returning an estimated $24.4 million in common benefit fees that were allocated for lead counsel, who called the report “insulting” and rife with “inaccuracies.”
In a Jan. 15 report, special master William Foster concluded that the 8% common benefit assessment on other lawyers with Roundup cases was arbitrary and unfair, particularly since most of them pursued litigation on their own, rather than rely on lead counsel in the multidistrict litigation. As a result, he recommended not allocating the common benefit fund to lead counsel at all.
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