Plaintiffs’ Leadership Asks Hair Relaxer MDL Judge to Reconsider ‘Common Benefit Fee’ Holdback Ruling

CHICAGO — Attorneys for plaintiffs in the federal MDL for hair relaxer injury cases have asked an Illinois federal judge to reconsider her refusal to impose a “common benefit fee” holdback on cases that were in state court or that are settled before filing in any court.

In a Sept. 6 motion filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the plaintiffs’ leadership committee (PLC) has asked Judge Mary M. Rowland to reconsider the question of whether the MDL court has authority to compel attorneys with cases in the MDL to withhold a percentage of their …