O'Bannon anti~trust lawyers seek $50 M fees

O'Bannon Lawyers Move for $50M in counsel fees against NCAA -
 Sports Illustrated

The lawyers for the plaintiffs in the class-action antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA featuring former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon want more than $50.2 million in attorneys' fees and other costs from the NCAA, [according to the Memorandum of Law filed by class counsel]

The lawyers submitted a request in August asking for $52.4 million, but did so to comply with rules that said they had to submit billing within 14 days of an upending judgment.

The plaintiffs' lawyers had until Tuesday to file an amended version of their request and the NCAA has until Dec. 23 to file a response to the filing.

The plaintiffs, led by Hausfeld LLP, now are seeking $44,972,407 in attorneys’ fees and recoverable costs and expenses of $5,277,209. According to the filing, the lawyers fees were billed from $985 per hour for senior partners with experience of more than 40 years to $175 per hour for the most junior associate.

According to the filing, Michael Hausfeld’s law firm oversaw the work of 31 law firms in the case, down from the 43 law firms from the fees-and-costs motion that was submitted in August. Hausfeld's firm claims they have spent more the 27,300 hours on the case, from March 2009 to the end of July of this year.

In August, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled that the NCAA violated antitrust law by preventing student-athletes from being compensated for their name, image and likeness rights.

Wilken's ruling allows schools to pay athletes licensing money into a trust fund starting in 2016. Financial damages were not part of the trial, but Wilken said the plaintiffs "shall recover their costs from the NCAA."