When negotiating a class action settlement, lawyers on both sides may need to consider whether subgroups within the class need to be separately represented by different counsel. The First Circuit recently reached that...more
It’s been almost two years since a divided panel of the Eleventh Circuit held that incentive payments (a/k/a service awards) in class action settlements are unlawful, a startling and controversial result given the ubiquity of...more
For years, class action settlements typically have included incentive payments to named plaintiffs. The payments usually represent a very small percentage of the overall settlement payout, and are designed to compensate named...more