The plaintiff, a person under disability following a severe motor vehicle accident, sought court approval of a $487,500 tort settlement and associated legal fees under Rule 7.08.
The court approved the settlement amount, noting it was on the low end of reasonable but acceptable given the outstanding accident benefits claim.
However, the court rejected the proposed legal fees based on a 30% contingency agreement, finding them unreasonable given the lack of liability risk and early settlement.
The court reduced the fees to slightly above docketed time and ordered a portion of the funds to be structured with a case manager appointed to oversee the plaintiff's treatment plan.
The decision also provides a comprehensive checklist for counsel filing Rule 7.08 applications.
