CHAMBERS v. WHIRLPOOL CORP.

No. 16-56666, No. 16-56684, No. 16-56688, No. 16-56694.

980 F.3d 645 (2020)

Steve CHAMBERS; Lynn Van Der Veer; Joseph Cicchelli; Kurt Himler; Susan Milicia; Gary Leblanc; James Cashman; Kevin O'Donnell; George Bliss; Susan Bathon; Maureen Meneghetti; W. David Beal; Linda Sample; Shirl Mederlet; Lyndee Walker; Jackie Steffes; Raymond Paolini, Jr.; Zila Koswener; Pamela Walchli, as individuals and for all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs-Appellees, Christine Knott, Objector-Appellant, v. WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION, a Delaware Corporation; Sears Holdings Corporation, a Delaware Corporation; Sears, Roebuck and Co., a New York corporation, Defendants-Appellees. Steve Chambers; Lynn Van Der Veer; Joseph Cicchelli; Kurt Himler; Susan Milicia; Gary Leblanc; James Cashman; Kevin O'Donnell; George Bliss; Susan Bathon; Maureen Meneghetti; W. David Beal; Linda Sample; Shirl Mederlet; Lyndee Walker; Jackie Steffes; Raymond Paolini, Jr.; Zila Koswener; Pamela Walchli, as individuals and for all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Whirlpool Corporation, a Delaware Corporation; Sears Holdings Corporation, a Delaware Corporation; Sears, Roebuck and Co., a New York corporation, Defendants-Appellants. Steve Chambers; Lynn Van Der Veer; Joseph Cicchelli; Kurt Himler; Susan Milicia; Gary Leblanc; James Cashman; Kevin O'Donnell; George Bliss; Susan Bathon; Maureen Meneghetti; W. David Beal; Linda Sample; Shirl Mederlet; Lyndee Walker; Jackie Steffes; Raymond Paolini, Jr.; Zila Koswener; Pamela Walchli, as individuals and for all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs-Appellees, Jan L. Miorelli, Personal Representative of the Estate of George P. Liacopoulos, Objector-Appellant, v. Whirlpool Corporation, a Delaware Corporation; Sears Holdings Corporation, a Delaware Corporation; Sears, Roebuck and Co., a New York corporation, Defendants-Appellees. Steve Chambers; Lynn Van Der Veer; Joseph Cicchelli; Kurt Himler; Susan Milicia; Gary Leblanc; James Cashman; Kevin O'Donnell; George Bliss; Susan Bathon; Maureen Meneghetti; W. David Beal; Linda Sample; Shirl Mederlet; Lyndee Walker; Jackie Steffes; Raymond Paolini, Jr.; Zila Koswener; Pamela Walchli, as individuals and for all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs-Appellees, W. Allen McDonald, Objector-Appellant, v. Whirlpool Corporation, a Delaware Corporation; Sears Holdings Corporation, a Delaware Corporation; Sears, Roebuck and Co., a New York corporation, Defendants-Appellees.

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

Filed November 10, 2020.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Robert W. Clore (argued) and Christopher A. Bandas , Bandas Law Firm P.C., Corpus Christi, Texas; Timothy R. Hanigan and Vaughn M. Greenwalt , Lang Hanigan & Carvalho LLP, Woodland Hills, California; for Objector-Appellant Christine Knott.

Sam A. Miorelli (argued), Law Office of Sam Miorelli P.A., Orlando, Florida, for Objector-Appellant/Cross-Appellee Jan L. Miorelli, Personal Representative of the Estate of George P. Liacopoulos.

Christopher T. Cain , Scott & Cain, Knoxville, Tennessee, for Objector-Appellant W. Allen McDonald.

Steven A. Schwartz (argued) and Timothy N. Mathews , Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP, Haverford, Pennsylvania; Charles S. Fax and Liesel J. Schopler , Rifkin Weiner Livingston LLC, Bethesda, Maryland; Jeffrey M. Cohon , Law Offices of Jeffrey M. Cohon APC, Los Angeles, California; Jonathan D. Selbin and Andrew Kaufman , Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP, New York, New York; David H. Weinstein and Robert Kitchenoff , Weinstein Kitchenoff & Sher LLC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; for Plaintiffs-Appellees.

Andrew J. Pincus (argued), Mayer Brown LLP, Washington, D.C.; Michael T. Williams , Allison R. McLaughlin , and Galen D. Bellamy , Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell LLP, Denver, Colorado; Stephen M. Shapiro , Timothy S. Bishop , Joshua D. Yount , and Chad M. Clamage , Mayer Brown LLP, Chicago, Illinois; for Defendants-Appellees/Cross-Appellants.

Oramel H. Skinner III (argued) and Dana R. Vogel , Assistant Attorneys General; Paul N. Watkins , Civil Litigation Division Chief; Mark Brnovich , Attorney General; Office of the Attorney General, Phoenix, Arizona; for Amicus Curiae Nine State Attorneys General.

Before: Richard R. Clifton and Kenneth K. Lee, Circuit Judges, and Frederic Block, District Judge.


OPINION

Is it reasonable to award $14.8 million in attorney's fees in a class action settlement that provides $116.7 million in benefits to class members? But what if the class settlement is in fact worth only $4.2 million? We face these two dramatically divergent scenarios...

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