Class action lawsuits rarely serve the best interests of individuals.

Recently, it was announced that 10,500 cops, firefighters, hardhats and other 9/11 responders will receive a $637.5 million settlement with the City of New York.  The attorneys representing the injury victims will receive 25% of the clients’ recovery, or $210.4 million, and the defense lawyers will get $200 million.  Of the $1 billion federal fund to pay claims from the World Trade Tower cleanup, more than 40% is going to the lawyers for the injury victims and lawyers representing the City.

Where does this leave the injury victims?  Well, 10,500 injury victims will split the remaining $637.5 million settlement.  That’s a lot of money, right?  Not according to a recent article in the New York Post.  The plaintiffs’ lawyers, Worby Groner Edelman & Napoli Bern took $5,050 from office cleaner Edgar Galvis’s $10,005 settlemnt, including their 33.33 legal fee.  The remainder of the money went to pay off a workers’ compensation lien.  Galvis received a check for $0.00.

The injury victims reported that the plaintiffs’ lawyers at Worby Groner Edelman & Napoli Bern were impersonal, botched paperwork, the lawyers were inaccessible and that the lawyers bullied them.  One injury victim stated, “I got screwed–big time.”

While the lawyers received legal fees exceeding $400 million, many of the injury victims receive nothing from the settlement.  This didn’t work as planned of most of the injury victims.

The lesson to be learned: individuals rarely get the justice that they deserve in class action lawsuits.

What you can do if you want more information

If you have questions or want more information, I welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can send me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com .  You are always welcome to join the mailing list for my FREE newsletter for medical consumers, Your Malpractice Insider, where I offer tips about your rights as a consumer.