What was the attorney’s cut?
Don’t many of these lawyers usually make/take 33% of the award?
After eight years and three trials, a group of protesters whose eyes were swabbed with pepper spray during a series of anti-logging demonstrations finally won their case Thursday against Humboldt County sheriff’s deputies and Eureka [California] police – but were awarded only $1 each in damages.
cases like that are called nominal damages. it operates to show that technically, the plaintiffs were right, but policy precludes the court from awarding huge awards to such plaintiffs. in other words, a jury in Oregon is not going to enter a judgment against a logging company and also award the plaintiffs millions in damages.
basically, it’s a big “fuck you” to the plaintiffs. because the case was tried and brought to a verdict, they can never sue the same defendants on the same cause of action again. and because they were awarded $1, the defendants are the real winners.
and as far as the attorney for those plaintiffs, I’m sure the lawyer is not hurting. after all, press is almost as valuable as money, as it gets you your next client.
Comment by LilB — 5/2/2005 @ 4:25 pm
You’re the one in Law school…who will be making the big dollars when you graduate, so I’ll take your word for it!
Comment by jaws — 5/3/2005 @ 8:09 pm