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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

$2 Million Fee For $1 Judgment

Associated Press

A judge granted $2 million in legal fees to the 19 lawyers it took to win a $1 judgment on behalf of consumers in a gasoline price-fixing case.

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson issued the order Friday, giving the legal team and nine assistants the money for a six-week trial held in Montgomery in 1992.

The jury found that at least three retailers had conspired to fix prices in Dothan. The class-action lawsuit sought $6.17 million. It netted only $1 in damages, but the retailers are responsible for paying the legal fees.

Of the $2 million, more than half will go to three lead attorneys: L. Andrew Hollis of Birmingham, John L. Latham of Atlanta and Rufus R. Smith Jr. of Dothan.