Posted by:
elderolddog
(
)
Date: September 12, 2019 11:47AM
A successful class-action lawsuit can result in a huge eruption of wealth.
I've never seen a request for donations made by the plaintiff or the law firm in a class action.
Here's a summation of what the class action wants the court to award it, should the plaintiffs triumph:
"Among the special damages being sought for Gaddy and the class members are payments relating to tithing, tuition, missionary expenses and their affiliation with the Mormon Corporate Empire as well as treble damages under RICO and attorneys' fees and costs."
https://legalnewsline.com/stories/513080130-former-mormon-says-she-found-out-the-truth-about-religion-s-founding-sues-for-emotional-distressOne thing to which I doubt the press has been made privy is the payment schedule, as in how much does the attorney get versus how much the plaintiffs get.
I know nothing about class actions except what one reads in the media, with the principle reporting featuring how much the law firm got - millions - and how little, by comparison, the 'class' made.
Here's a 'for instance': Ford Motor Company did a lousy job with the 'infotainment' center on some of their Ford and Lincoln cars. If you, one of the plaintiffs, took your car in for service of the crappy infotainment center three or more times, you get $400 in settlement money. What do the attorneys get for winning this money for the clients they never met?
"Class Counsel have pursued the Litigation on a contingent basis and have paid all the costs of the Litigation. They have not yet been paid or recovered any of their expenses. As part of the proposed Settlement, Class Counsel will ask the Court to award them up to $16 million in attorneys’ fees and expenses and to approve a $9,000 service award for each of the Named Plaintiffs. The Court will decide the amount of the fee award, the expense award, and the service awards at the Fairness Hearing. None of these payments will reduce the benefits that you, as a Settlement Class Member, receive. Ford will pay any money the Court awards to Class Counsel and to the Named Plaintiffs, within those limits."
https://www.myfordtouchclassaction.com/faqsYeah, the attorneys expect to get $9,000 for each person who signed on as a member of the class and they are of course actively seeking additional clients who want to make '...up to $400.'
Which is all fine and dandy. It's $400 someone could put in their pocket for their time and trouble because Ford screwed up.
But what I haven't seen is an attorney involved in a class-action lawsuit asking for donations. There are no laws against it, I suppose; she could stand at the end of a freeway offramp with a sign, "Need money for class action lawsuit" and I'd be find with that.
But based on how enormous the jackpot is for these class-action lawsuit attorneys, doesn't it make more sense to be asking for investment money? How about, "Invest in my class-action lawsuit and if I win, I'll double your money!"
All of us ought to read the 75-page complaint. You can see it here:
https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Mormons.pdfI've started to read it. I found what I considered to be a glaring, but minor error. The complaint says, on page 13:
" These institutions offer religious instruction limited to the study of Mormonism. Upon information and belief, throughout most if not all these institutions’academic histories, no class in comparative religion has been offered to the students at any of
them."
I took "World Religions" one semester, which was a blessed relief from having to pay $15/unit to suck up to mormonism. Do they not teach that anymore?
Huh! A five-minute search of the BYU catalog of classes found these:
REL C 351 - Survey of World Religions
REL C 352 - Survey of Christianity
REL C 353 - American Christianity and the Restored Gospel
REL C 357 - Survey of Judaism and Islam
REL C 358 - Survey of Eastern Religions
https://catalog.byu.edu/courses?cd=11Certainly, I agree with the premise of the complaint, that a fraud has been perpetrated on a hapless, ignorant (I love my preferred spelling, 'ignert', but will stay above it for now) multi-generational foundation of adherents and on the converts who succumb to their hope that what the missionaries offer them will supply what they believe they are missing.
Will I line up for a share of the proceeds to be doled out should they (hopefully!) win?
In all honesty, I can't. I got so much more out of mormonism than I gave it. But yeah, if they give every RM $1,000 for every month between being set apart and being honorably released, yeah, I'll take it.
You go, Laura!!!
But keep in mind how much money the current system will bestow upon the lead plaintiff and her attorneys.