Class action crusader says ‘floc’ settlement unfair

The West Virginia Record reports on Ted Frank's efforts to challenge an unjust settlement in which the attorneys proposed to get more money than the class members.

The founder of the Center for Class Action Fairness says a recent settlement in Marshall County that provides medical monitoring and millions of dollars in fees for attorneys appears unfair.

The settlement, reached in Marshall County Circuit Court, provides up to $6.6 million in medical tests for individuals who worked at coal and water treatment plants who were possibly exposed to a chemical called polyacrylamide, often referred to as “flocculent” or “floc.”

Plaintiffs attorneys plan to request one-third of the $13.95 million and almost $2 million in costs.

"A settlement fee request where the attorneys propose to get $6.62 million and the class members get $6.58 million is unfair on its face – especially when it appears structured so that much of that $6.58 million will actually end up in the hands of third parties long after the attorneys have collected their checks,” Frank said.

Read the full article at the West Virginia Record.