The First Appellate District affirmed a judgment. The court held that a law firm’s contingency fee was not unconscionable, despite its significant size, where it was negotiated by parties of equal sophistication, both of whom were represented by counsel.
Real estate developer Universal Paragon Corporation (UPC) owned property which was being contaminated by waste from a neighboring site. The site was owned by the Ingersoll-Rand Corporation. UPC sought to gain ownership of the site so that it could undertake a clean-up. When its initial attempts were unsuccessful, UPC retained the law firm of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy to develop a litigation strategy for gaining control of the site.
