"The ride-share giant is gathering signatures for an initiative that, if passed by voters, would cap how much attorneys can earn in vehicle collision cases. The company pledges the change will give victims a larger cut of their settlement money, alleging predatory attorneys are inflating medical bills to increase their own profits."
"Attorneys from Sweet James and Jacoby & Meyers - the names and faces of which will be imprinted in the minds of most California drivers - have given almost $1 million to a committee opposing the ballot measure, according to campaign filings. Dozens of other deep-pocketed attorneys have joined, raising an impressive war chest already surpassing $46 million."
"Attorneys have condemned the fee cap as a Trojan horse meant to trick voters into wrecking the delicate math behind personal injury lawsuits. Currently, personal injury attorneys typically take 33% to 40% of a client's payout. That is enough, they say, for them to earn a living and risk taking cases on a contingency fee basis - meaning, if they lose, they don't get paid."
An Uber-backed initiative aims to cap attorney fees in vehicle collision cases at 25% and require pre-fee calculation of extra costs such as filing fees, depositions and experts. The company argues the measure will give victims a larger share of settlements and curb predatory practices that inflate medical bills. Personal-injury lawyers contend the cap will decimate a niche of car-crash litigation, undermine contingency-fee economics, and leave many people with small or difficult cases unable to find representation. Prominent firms and dozens of attorneys have raised substantial funds to oppose the measure, exceeding $46 million.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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