Law firms accuse state of breaching tobacco deal

Boston ^ | 11/5/03 | Thanassis Cambanis

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Two law firms that helped Massachusetts win an $8.3 billion settlement from cigarette manufacturers accused the Commonwealth yesterday of violating the very contract that paved the way to the historic award.

In opening statements at a closely watched trial in Suffolk Superior Court, attorneys for two law firms who say they are owed an additional $1.2 billion in legal fees and lawyers for the state attorney general traded accusations of greed, dishonesty, political posturing, and irresponsibility.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Do the states have the funds to pay their contracts?

[WL-law]

Do the states have the funds to pay their contracts?

Since the payments to the lawyers come out of the settlement that the state receives from the tobacco companies, the answer has to be "yes". Whether the state should pay is the question.

[sickofthehandouts]

While I have a great dislike of lawyers a deal is a deal.

Do you think if they had not won that the states would have offered any compensation to cover costs? NO

Do you think if it had cost the lawyers 5 billion to win that the states would have covered the additional costs? NO

A deal is a deal and while I truely hate it, they have no grounds for not paying.

I understand that most of the states have already spent all of the settlement money so where is the lawyers fee going to come from? You guessed it TAXPAYERS.

[Rhetorical pi2]

Do NOT buy lottery tickets. Become a trial lawyer!

$8,000,000 every three months for the next 20 years and you could take some Wednesday afternoons off for golf. Mebbe even get new set of clubs...or take the cute girl answering the phone to the Carribean for a weekend.

I'm not sure I can ever call anyone I know selfish again.

Grisham should write a novel on this side of the sleazy legal thievery organizations - similar to the Wall Street movie with Michael Douglas.

[WL-law]

While I have a great dislike of lawyers a deal is a deal.

In this case, that's not the entire controlling analysis. Lawyers are governed by their state bar code of ethics, which can limit the amount of fees based on the principles stated by the state of Massachusetts, i.e., the fees cannot be unreasonable. That would control OVER the contract.

I think the lawyers will lose this on the merits, and they won't dare take it to trial because no jury would back up the legal fees.