Law firms wrangle over fees from $2.7 bln Blue Cross settlement

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

By Caitlin Tremblay

What's going on today?

Have a great day!

REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao/File Photo

Nearly five years after Blue Cross Blue Shield agreed to pay $2.7 billion in one of the largest U.S. antitrust class action settlements ever, a handful of law firms involved in the case are still fighting over their share of the attorney fees.

A trio of small law firms claims that Louisiana-based Pendley, Baudin & Coffin never paid them their dues from Pendley's portion of a $667 million fee award allocated to the more than 30 plaintiffs' firms in the case, according to complaints made public by an Alabama federal judge who oversaw the antitrust litigation. David Thomas and Mike Scarcella have more on the fee fight.

'Thuggish tactics." "Campaign of lies."  A sense of anger thrums throughout the 93-page  lawsuit by U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel against rival steel maker Cleveland-Cliffs, its CEO and the president of the United Steelworkers union. Claiming antitrust and RICO violations for allegedly subverting their now-scuttled merger, the plaintiffs say damages could run in the billions of dollars. But making the claims stick could prove tricky, Jenna Greene writes in "On the Case."

The LA fire chief said the cause of the massive fires is still unknown. Here are the latest updates … The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on a bill imposing new penalties on migrants accused of crimes … Trump promises unity in his Capitol visit but set no clear path for his agenda … Former President Jimmy Carter was remembered for rising above politics … Elon Musk will host a German far-right leader on X, stirring angst about election meddling … And everyone is talking about Greenland. Here are some of our best photos of its glaciers, fjords and more.

caitlin.tremblay@thomsonreuters.com

@ctrembz

The Afternoon Docket is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here.

Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here.

Reuters Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement