Ninth Circuit Rules that Redemption Value of Coupons Cannot be Ignored in Calculating Attorneys’ Fees in Coupon Settlements
In In re HP Inkjet Printer Litigation, the Ninth Circuit reversed a District Court’s approval of a class action settlement providing “e-credits,” or coupons, to class members, on the ground that the class counsel fee award violated § 1712 of the Class Action Fairness Act (“CAFA”). The parties’ settlement agreement had provided for $5 million in coupons, as well as injunctive relief in the form of additional product disclosures. The District Court, recognizing that the coupons were worth significantly less than their face value, estimated that the “ultimate value” of the combined coupon and injunctive relief to the class was approximately $1.5 million, and awarded fees of $1.5 million based solely on the lodestar method, without calculating the actual redemption value of the coupons.