IN RE MRRM, P.A.

Nos. 04-1838, 04-1859.

404 F.3d 863 (2005)

In Re: MRRM, P.A., formerly known as Law Offices of Ness, Motley, Loadholt, Richardson & Poole, former counsel to plaintiff class, Appellant, In Re: Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman, Appellee, and In Re: Speights & Runyan Central Wesleyan College, on behalf of itself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, v. W.R. Grace & Company; National Gypsum Company; United States Gypsum Company, A Delaware Corporation; Ac & S, Incorporated, A Pennsylvania Corporation; Acoustics, Incorporated; A P Green Refractories Company, A Delaware Corporation; Amchem Products, Incorporated; American Asbestos Products Company, A California Corporation; American Energy Products, Incorporated; Armstrong World Industries, Incorporated; Asbestos Corporation, Limited; Asbestos Product Manufacturing Corporation; Asbestos Corporation of America Incorporated; Asbestos Fibers, Incorporated; Asbestospray Corporation; Asten Group, Incorporated; Atlas Asbestos Corporation, Limited; Atlas Turner, Incorporated; Babcock & Wilcox Company, A Delaware Corporation; Basic, Incorporated, A Delaware Corporation; Bell Asbestos Mines, Limited; Brinco Mining Limited, Formerly Known As Cassiar Resources Limited; California Products Corporation; California Products International Incorporated; Cape Asbestos Fibres, Limited; Cape Industries, Limited; Carey Canada, Incorporated; C.E. Thurston & Sons Incorporated, A Virginia Corporation; The Celotex Corporation; Certainteed Corporation, A Maryland Corporation; Certainteed Sales Corporation; Charter Consolidated Investments Limited; Charter Consolidated, Limited; Charter Consolidated Services; Charter Industries; Chemrock Corporation; Combustion Engineering, Incorporated; Crown Cork & Seal Company, Incorporated, A New York Corporation; Dana Corporation, A Virginia Corporation; Dodson Manufacturing Company; Eagle-Picher Industries, Incorporated; Empire Ace Insulation Manufacturing Corporation, A New York Corporation; Empire Asbestos Products, Incorporated, A New York Corporation; Fibreboard Corporation; Flintkote Company, A Massachusetts Corporation; Foster Wheeler Corporation, Successor-in-Interests to Forty-Eight Insulations Incorporated, A New York Corporation; GAF Corporation; Garlock; General Refractories Company, U.S. Refractories Division; Georgia Pacific Corporation, A Georgia Corporation; Grant Wilson, Incorporated, An Illinois Corporation; Grefco, Incorporated, Minerals Division; H & A Construction Corporation, Formerly Known As Spraycraft, A New York Corporation; Hamilton Materials, Incorporated, A California Corporation; H.K. Porter Incorporated; Highland Stucco & Lime Products, Incorporated; Hollywood Stucco Products, Incorporated; Huxley Development Corporation; IPA Systems, Incorporated, A Pennsylvania Corporation; J.W. Roberts, Limited; John Crane-Houdaille, Incorporated, Formerly Known As Crane Packing Company; Keene Corporation; Kaiser Refractories, A Division of Kaiser Aluminum And Chemical Corporation; Kaiser Gypsum Company; Lac D'amainte Du Quebec, Ltee; Nicolet, Incorporated; Ohio Lime Company; Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation; Owens-Illinois, Incorporated; Pittsburgh-Corning Corporation; Pfizer, Incorporated; Quigley Company, Incorporated; Raymark Industries, Incorporated; Rock Wool Manufacturing Company, Incorporated; Ryder Industries, Incorporated, A Texas Corporation; Sealtite Textile Corporation, A Delaware Corporation; Southern Textile, A Delaware Corporation; Special Asbestos Company, Incorporated; Sprayon Insulation & Acoustic, Incorporated; Sprayed Insulation Corporation; Sprayon Research Corporation; Starr-Davis Company, Incorporated, A North Carolina Corporation; Standard Insulations, Incorporated; Standard Asbestos Manufacturing and Insulating Company, A Missouri Corporation; TAF International, Limited, Formerly Known As Turner Asbestos Fibres, Limited; Turner Asbestos Fibres, Limited, A Foreign Corporation; Turner & Newall, Limited, A Foreign Corporation; Uniroyal Incorporated; USG Corporation, A Delaware Corporation; United States Mineral Products Company; Vermont Asbestos Group, A Vermont Corporation; Vimasco Corporation; Western Mineral Products Company, Incorporated; H.K. Porter Asbestos Trust, Defendants. Basil H. Thomson, Jr.; John G. Hill, Jr.; Robert L. Potts; Earl V. Brown; Estelle A. Fishbein; Beverly E. Ledbetter; Dennis C. Hart, Amicus Curiae, Highlands Insurance Company; American Reinsurance Company; Concordia College; Furman University; Claflin University; Newberry College, Movants. In Re: MRRM, P.A., formerly known as Law Offices of Ness, Motley, Loadholt, Richardson & Poole, former counsel to plaintiff class, Appellant, In Re: Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman, Appellee, and In Re: Speights & Runyan Central Wesleyan College, on behalf of itself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, v. W.R. Grace & Company; National Gypsum Company; United States Gypsum Company, A Delaware Corporation; AC & S, Incorporated, A Pennsylvania Corporation; Acoustics, Incorporated; A P Green Refractories Company, A Delaware Corporation; Amchem Products, Incorporated; American Asbestos Products Company, A California Corporation; American Energy Products, Incorporated; Armstrong World Industries, Incorporated; Asbestos Corporation, Limited; Asbestos Product Manufacturing Corporation; Asbestos Corporation of America Incorporated; Asbestos Fibers, Incorporated; Asbestospray Corporation; Asten Group, Incorporated; Atlas Asbestos Corporation, Limited; Atlas Turner, Incorporated; Babcock & Wilcox Company, A Delaware Corporation; Basic, Incorporated, A Delaware Corporation; Bell Asbestos Mines, Limited; Brinco Mining Limited, Formerly Known As Cassiar Resources Limited; California Products Corporation; California Products International Incorporated; Cape Asbestos Fibres, Limited; Cape Industries, Limited; Carey Canada, Incorporated; C.E. Thurston & Sons Incorporated, A Virginia Corporation; The Celotex Corporation; Certainteed Corporation, A Maryland Corporation; Certainteed Sales Corporation; Charter Consolidated Investments Limited; Charter Consolidated, Limited; Charter Consolidated Services; Charter Industries; Chemrock Corporation; Combustion Engineering, Incorporated; Crown Cork & Seal Company, Incorporated, A New York Corporation; Dana Corporation, A Virginia Corporation; Dodson Manufacturing Company; Eagle-Picher Industries, Incorporated; Empire Ace Insulation Manufacturing Corporation, A New York Corporation; Empire Asbestos Products, Incorporated, A New York Corporation; Fibreboard Corporation; Flintkote Company, A Massachusetts Corporation; Foster Wheeler Corporation, Successor-in-Interests to Forty-Eight Insulations Incorporated, A New York Corporation; GAF Corporation; Garlock; General Refractories Company, U.S. Refractories Division; Georgia Pacific Corporation, A Georgia Corporation; Grant Wilson, Incorporated, An Illinois Corporation; Grefco, Incorporated, Minerals Division; H & A Construction Corporation, Formerly Known As Spraycraft, A New York Corporation; Hamilton Materials, Incorporated, A California Corporation; H.K. Porter Incorporated; Highland Stucco & Lime Products, Incorporated; Hollywood Stucco Products, Incorporated; Huxley Development Corporation; IPA Systems, Incorporated, A Pennsylvania Corporation; J.W. Roberts, Limited; John Crane-Houdaille, Incorporated, Formerly Known As Crane Packing Company; Keene Corporation; Kaiser Refractories, A Division of Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation; Kaiser Gypsum Company; Lac D'amainte Du Quebec, Ltee; Nicolet, Incorporated; Ohio Lime Company; Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation; Owens-Illinois, Incorporated; Pittsburgh-Corning Corporation; Pfizer, Incorporated; Quigley Company, Incorporated; Raymark Industries, Incorporated; Rock Wool Manufacturing Company, Incorporated; Ryder Industries, Incorporated, A Texas Corporation; Sealtite Textile Corporation, A Delaware Corporation; Southern Textile, A Delaware Corporation; Special Asbestos Company, Incorporated; Sprayon Insulation & Acoustic, Incorporated; Sprayed Insulation Corporation; Sprayon Research Corporation; Starr-Davis Company, Incorporated, A North Carolina Corporation; Standard Insulations, Incorporated; Standard Asbestos Manufacturing and Insulating Company, A Missouri Corporation; TAF International, Limited, Formerly Known As Turner Asbestos Fibres, Limited; Turner Asbestos Fibres, Limited, A Foreign Corporation; Turner & Newall, Limited, A Foreign Corporation; Uniroyal Incorporated; USG Corporation, A Delaware Corporation; United States Mineral Products Company; Vermont Asbestos Group, A Vermont Corporation; Vimasco Corporation; Western Mineral Products Company, Incorporated; H.K. Porter Asbestos Trust, Defendants. Basil H. Thomson, Jr.; John G. Hill, Jr.; Robert L. Potts; Earl V. Brown; Estelle A. Fishbein; Beverly E. Ledbetter; Dennis C. Hart, Amicus Curiae, Highlands Insurance Company; American Reinsurance Company; Concordia College; Furman University; Claflin University; Newberry College, Movants.

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Decided: April 18, 2005.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

ARGUED: William Howell Morrison, Moore & Van Allen, P.L.L.C., Charleston, South Carolina, for Appellant. Edward James Westbrook, Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman, L.L.C., Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, for Appellee. ON BRIEF: Frederick C. Baker, Motley Rice, L.L.C., Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, for Appellant.

Before WILKINSON, NIEMEYER, and MOTZ, Circuit Judges.


Affirmed by published opinion. Judge WILKINSON wrote the opinion, in which Judge NIEMEYER and Judge MOTZ joined.

OPINION

WILKINSON, Circuit Judge:

In this case we consider the appropriate allocation of a class action attorney fee award among three law firms. The fee award itself was previously approved and is not in controversy. Instead, one firm has appealed the district court's distribution of that award, essentially claiming that its share was...

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