Court Backs $17.3 Million Attorneys’ Fees in Oil Royalties Case

Attorneys who represented a class of oil well owners in Oklahoma will keep their $17.3 million attorneys’ fees award after a federal appeals panel ruled Monday that a lower court didn’t abuse its discretion in awarding 33.3% of the settlement fund to class counsel.

The state class action attorneys’ fees law doesn’t impose a strict 30% ceiling on awards, and the court properly deviated from the average range by considering class counsel’s time sheets and proposed hourly rates to calculate the 33.3% cut of a $52 million settlement fund, the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit said.

“Oklahoma ...