Court Opinion

ID: 6931893
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-07-24 00:06:56.438539+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:07:13.839914
License: Public Domain

SNEED, Senior Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
I am by no means convinced on the record before us that under no circumstances could Wolford materially profit by an adjustment downward of the fees payable to the attorneys representing the class of which Wolford is a member. Nor am I reasonably certain that Wolford would be called upon to pay were there an upward adjustment of fees.
We should remand the case to the district court to permit it to examine the standing of Wolford at some length. These positions are in no way dependent upon an analysis that would impute standing to Wolford because of her general interest in the manner in which fees are set in class actions. Arguably, a class member always retains an interest in attorney fees, even when her claims have been met in full. Indeed, it could be argued that only at that point does her objectivity become unchallengeable. I do not push the point in this direction, however.
I do remain puzzled, however. While the whiff of money being distributed unfairly may be offensive to some class members, even when not otherwise affected, we do apparently assume that its gentle stench no where rivals that of bad air or loud noises to adjoining neighbors.