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James, Hoyer, Newcomer, Smiljanich & Yanchunis, P.A.

Lawyers for class-action law firm James, Hoyer, Newcomer, Smiljanich & Yanchunis, P.A. have made millions of dollars by filing cases, and in many of them, the plaintiffs – named and unnamed – walk away with nothing or a small portion of the settlement. In one recent case, the judge threw out the case as “meritless,” and the law firm still asked more than a million dollars in fees.

Take a look at who got what in past James, Hoyer cases:

1. In a 2007 settlement with Allstate regarding use of credit scoring for its policy holders the James, Hoyer law firm was given $11.7 million for fees and expenses. The six named plaintiffs were given $5,000 each. The unnamed class members were entitled to seek $50 refunds under the settlement. Read the article.
2. In a 1995 settlement with Metropolitan Life Insurance about the sale of retirement plans, the James, Hoyer partners got a $2.75 million fee, while MetLife customers received an average of $2,200 each. Read more.
3. In a 2007 case against Wells Fargo over credit reporting, the court found the James, Hoyer’s case “virtually worthless settlement of a meritless case,” and the class members received what amounted to two free credit reports and a $50 rebate on a mortgage loan. The law firm asked for $1.5 million in attorney’s fees plus costs, but the Court awarded class counsel with just $326,000 in fees and $33,000 in expenses. Read more.
4. In a 2007 settlement with driver’s license agencies, James, Hoyer partners and other attorneys took home $25 million in fees and expenses. The named plaintiffs got $15,000 each, and those covered under the class did not get any monetary settlement. Read more.

James, Hoyer, Newcomer, Smiljanich & Yankunich, P.A. is a Tampa, Florida-based law firm that makes millions of dollars for its partners by conducting class action lawsuits, including the one it filed against Westwood College.

The firm owns and operates the Consumer Warning Network. The website shares the same staff and resources as the law firm itself.

James, Hoyer and the firm uses the Consumer Warning Network to conduct public relations activities against companies being targeted by James, Hoyer for class action suits. The law firm also utilizes the Consumer Warning Network for fraud-related issues and using it as a tool to recruit plaintiffs to participate in class action suits.

In Rodriguez V. SLM Corp., Civil Action No. 3-07-cv-01866 (D. Conn.), a motion has been made to the Court to rescind the appointment of James, Hoyer as counsel for a class of individuals bringing a lawsuit against Sallie Mae alleging improper student lending practices. The motion alleges violations of the Florida Rules of Professional Conduct by the firm, and alleges the relationship between the firm and the Consumer Warning Network creates ethical conflicts.

James, Hoyer is known for its affiliation with Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach, a large New York-based law firm that also specialized in class action lawsuits. Milberg Weiss was the subject of a high-profile fraud case prosecuted by the federal government. The case, which began with indictments issued in 2005, resulted in jail terms for a number of the firm’s partners as well as a $75 million fine, one of the largest fines of its kind at that time.

James, Hoyer and Milberg Weiss collaborated regularly prior to this federal fraud case, operating as co-counsels on a number of large class action lawsuits during the 1990s and 2000s.