Opinion ID: 754085
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Incentive Award

Text: 27 Having resolved the issues surrounding the attorney's fees, we address the final matter raised by the Fund--the propriety of Archie Cook's $25,000 incentive award. Because a named plaintiff is an essential ingredient of any class action, an incentive award is appropriate if it is necessary to induce an individual to participate in the suit. See In re Continental, 962 F.2d at 571. In deciding whether such an award is warranted, relevant factors include the actions the plaintiff has taken to protect the interests of the class, the degree to which the class has benefitted from those actions, and the amount of time and effort the plaintiff expended in pursuing the litigation. See Spicer v. Chicago Bd. Options Exchange, Inc., 844 F.Supp. 1226, 1267 (N.D.Ill.1993). Here these factors are readily satisfied. Cook brought a suit that resulted in structural reforms to the Health & Welfare Fund as well as a cash recovery of more than $13 million. In findings that were well-supported by the evidence, Special Master McGarr noted that Cook spent hundreds of hours with his attorneys and provided them with an abundance of information. Most significantly, the special master found that, in filing the suit, Cook reasonably feared workplace retaliation. In light of the benefit Cook bestowed on his class, the risks he faced in bringing the case and the time he spent pursuing it, Judge Manning did not err when she approved a $25,000 incentive award. Accordingly, the case is 28 AFFIRMED.