Ga. Natural gas has issued a notice of a class action settlement that only protects the lawyers. They have agreed to create a "claims made" fund up to $11.5 million. That means they only have to pay the consumers who go on line or mail in a form that will take longer to fill out than their claims are worth. If only a few consumers fill out forms then Georgia Natural Gas won't have to pay much at all. But get this! The class action lawyers want 29% of the $11.5 million in attorney fees even if nobody claims anything and GNG has agreed not to oppose their request for fees!
Sounds like collusion... The lawyers will walk away with $3,335, 000 while only consumers who apply get a few dollars. And the fees and all administrative costs (which are not disclosed) come out of the $11.5 million. That is not the way "Common Fund " class action settlements work! The lawyers are to only get paid out of a percentage of what the class members actually are guaranteed to receive.in the case, the class is not guaranteed to receive anything!
Either these lawyers are selling out the consumers or they have no idea of what they are doing. Where are all those Carl Rove fans when we need them? The judge will get big black eye is approval is given to this one!
See... Ellison & Bresler v. Southstar d/b/a Ga. Natural Gas, case No. cv-147195, Superior court of Fulton County, Georgia. Judge Wendy Shoob.
Www.GasSettlement.com
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