Random Lawyer Stuff

Whoever tells the best story wins.
- John Quincy Adams

I found the above quote on the website of Simmons, Jannace & Stagg while looking for information on something I was reading about their representation of a widow of a 9-11 victim. Apparently her former attorney had filed a lawsuit against her in federal court seeking a declaratory judgment of $2,000,000 as a contingency fee for representing her before the Victim's Compensation Fund. From what I was reading, Simmons, Jannace & Stagg moved to have the federal action dismissed based on the fact that the Victim's Compensation Fund had no provision for the circumstance. They also reportedly pointed out that before the Victim's Compensation Fund there was no upholding of such exorbitant fees. The court apparently agreed to abstain and leave things to the Surrogate court, retaining jurisdiction after the Surrogate court finishes.

While I failed to find anything on their site to corroborate the inforamtion, I still find it a curious story that bears later looking into.