[NewsPoster]

iPhone 4 owners are beginning to receive $15 checks as their part of the settlement in a class action lawsuit against Apple, notes 9to5Mac. The payouts mark the end of the dispute, which merged 18 different cases involving the iPhone 4's alleged "death grip" issue. Holding the phone in the wrong way without a case would effectively kill its cellular reception.

Apple pointed out that other phones suffer from the same problem, but ultimately apologized and started offering free cases for a short time, even if it was not enough to deter legal action. The class action suit in fact handed out Apple Bumper cases to some claimants; the $15 checks are only being sent to people who didn't previously receive a Bumper. Apple ended up paying $53 million to settle the case, of which $16 million went to the lawyers.

[simdude]

These suits are a joke. People don't get anything but the lawyers get rich.

[Geoduck]

Typical

Users get $15
Lawyers get $16 MILLION

Whether this case had merit or not is irrelevant. Apple and the plaintiffs got screwed. The lawyers are the only ones that profited.

[Inkling]

For all but the destitute, who're unlikely to own the latest iPhone, this $15 settlement is ridiculous. It's less than the value of the time it'll take to process the settlement paperwork.

This happens all the time. Lawyers allegedly representing wronged people work out cozy little deals with corporate lawyers. The settlement pays so little and is so riddled with hassles, that few make claims, saving the corporation millions. On the other hand, the suing lawyers make out like the bandits, billing perhaps $400 per hour (with their hours inflated).

It's too much to expect the law profession to do anything about lawyers who're enriching themselves while not serving the legitimate interests of their clients. The core value of the legal profession is greed. Clients are merely a tool to feed that greed.

But someone should organize a website to publicize these lawsuits and encourage members of the class to write the judge, insisting that any "win" by those suing include:

1. A simplified and generous payout that makes claim filing worthwhile for the allegedly harmed members of the class. The total time to file should result in a payoff that's well above the average income for that much working time. That''d definitely not $15.

2. Payoffs to the suing lawyers should be restricted, so they can never collect for than a fixed percentage of what their clients get. Five percent would be about the most that could be justified.

Apply that principle to this case and instead of the lawyers getting 30% of the payout, $16 million out of $53 million, they'd only get, by my calculations, $1.85 million.

Yeah, they're still greedy SOBs making out like bandits, but it would put a bit of crimp in their lifestyles.

Oh, how I loathe lawyers. The number of good lawyers is microscopic. Most are gutless, unwilling to do anything about their profession's greed. And about a fourth of them need to have their license permanently revoked.

[Flying Meat]

Technically, the lawyers got 16 million, the users got 37 million.
The fact that it breaks out to $15 per user has to do in part with how many users are addressed by the 37 million.
$15 is pretty good pay for not having to move your fingers.

In short, it's a perspective thing.

[arrrc]

Totally forgot about this suit.

[Grendelmon]

$37million isn't a bad settlement. 2.5million plantiffs is the problem.