In a remarkable order, full of a long recounting of the remarkable results in the Surfside Tower collapse case in which at the outset Judge Hanzman noted that the building was insured for 48 million and the property was worth about 100 million - and the total recovery ended up being 1.2 billion- and it was obtained within 18 months- Judge Hanzman REJECTED a fee request of 100 million comprising something called Lodestar that we are entirely unfamiliar with, but did approve legal fees of 65 million dollars.
The order starts out with voluminous praise for the attorneys who took on the case being warned by the tough-talking judge that it was NOT going to be "business as usual" and they had better "BUCKLE UP" for the hard ride ahead. In Rumpole's world, effusive praise in an order almost always precedes the inevitable "but for the reasons stated herein the motion is denied."
And that is what occurred. Sort off. The attorneys got more than they agreed to when they "buckled up", but less than what they asked for- even with the support of some expert who opined "show them the money!" Or something like that.
It's a good order. A well-reasoned order. The fees represent 6.5% of the money recovered. More than a billion dollars went to the victims and their survivors.
Well Done Judge Hanzman. Well Done indeed.
Champlain Towers South - Order on Class Counsel's Motion for Attorney's Fees by Anonymous PbHV4H on Scribd