Bachman v. A.G. Edwards update

You may recall the $60 million settlement that wasn’t to which CCAF objected. Judge Angela T. Quigless approved the settlement and approved the $21.6 million award of attorneys’ fees and costs without addressing any of the objections.

And if you ever hear a class action attorney tell you that what they really care about is “access to justice,” you have my permission to laugh sardonically. The Bachman attorneys have asked the court to require any objector-appellants (each of whom have about $20 at stake) to post a $325,000 appeal bond—despite the fact that Missouri law does not permit such a thing. CCAF filed an opposition to the request (citing Professor Fitzpatrick’s recent article disapproving of excessive appeal bonds), and I was in St. Louis yesterday to argue at the hearing. We will see whether CCAF gets to appeal the judgment or has to appeal an illegal appeal bond order.