Court filing
Proposed Order — Brooks v. Thomson Reuters Corporation (Dkt. 264.4)
No. 3:21-cv-01418-EMC · Doc. 264-4 · Docket on CourtListener
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Case 3:21-cv-01418-EMC Document 264-4 Filed 10/25/24 Page 1 of 3
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE
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NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
11 SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION
12 CAT BROOKS and RASHEED SHABAZZ, Case No. 3:21-cv-01418-EMC-KAW
individually and on behalf of all others
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similarly situated, [PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING
14 PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR
Plaintiffs, ATTORNEYS’ FEES, COSTS, AND
15 v. SERVICE AWARDS
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THOMSON REUTERS CORPORATION, Judge: Hon. Edward M. Chen
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Defendant.
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[PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR ATTORNEYS’ FEES, COSTS,
AND SERVICE AWARDS
Case No. 3:21-cv-01418-EMC-KAW
Case 3:21-cv-01418-EMC Document 264-4 Filed 10/25/24 Page 2 of 3
1 This matter is before the Court on Plaintiffs’ motion for attorneys’ fees, costs, and service
2 awards (“Motion”). The Court has reviewed the Motion, the memorandum in support, the
3 declarations submitted supporting the Motion, any response and reply, other documents
4 submitted in support of the motion, the record in this matter, and the briefs and arguments of
5 counsel. Based on the entire record of these proceedings to date, and good cause appearing
6 therefore, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED as follows:
7 1. The Court, having considered the Motion and supporting documents, concludes
8 that an award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of certain litigation costs to Plaintiffs to be
9 paid from the Thomson Reuters settlement totaling $27.5 million in monetary benefits
10 (“Settlement Fund”) are appropriate under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 23(h) and 54(d)(2).
11 Plaintiffs provided notice of the Motion to potential settlement class members at least thirty-
12 five days in advance of the response deadline for settlement class members, in accordance with
13 the procedural guidance for class action settlements in this District.
14 2. Based on Plaintiffs’ Motion, the Court awards attorneys’ fees using the
15 percentage-of-the-recovery method. The Court GRANTS an award of reasonable attorneys’ fees
16 to Plaintiffs in the amount of $6,875,000 from the Settlement Fund (25% of the Settlement Fund).
17 Having considered the results obtained, the risks, the secondary benefits of the settlement, the
18 market rate in the particular field of law, the burdens class counsel experienced, and the fact
19 that the fee was contingent, Plaintiffs’ request for attorneys’ fees, in light of all of the facts and
20 the results achieved, is fair and reasonable. Further, an award of 25% reflects a multiplier of
21 approximately 1.24, consistent with fee awards in comparable class actions. In re Google Referrer
22 Header Priv. Litig., No. 5:10-CV-04809-EJD, 2023 WL 6812545, at *10 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 16, 2023)
23 (awarding 25% of $23,000,000 at 1.85 multiplier); Perkins v. Linkedin Corp., No. 13-CV-04303-LHK,
24 2016 WL 613255, at *15 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 16, 2016) (awarding 25% of $13,000,000 at 1.45 multiplier);
25 see also Reyes v. Experian Info. Sols., Inc., 856 F. App’x 108, 111 (9th Cir. 2021) (indicating that a fee
26 award of 25% at a 2.88 multiplier would be in line with those “routinely approved by this court” (citing
27 Vizcaino v. Microsoft Corp., 290 F.3d 1043, 1051 (9th Cir. 2002) (affirming 25% fee recovery at 3.65
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[PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING PRELIMINARY APPROVAL
Case No. 3:21-cv-01418-EMC-KAW
Case 3:21-cv-01418-EMC Document 264-4 Filed 10/25/24 Page 3 of 3
1 multiplier, and explaining that that multiplier “was within the range of multipliers applied in common
2 fund cases”))).
3 3. Likewise, based on Plaintiffs’ Motion and supporting Declaration, the Court finds
4 that Plaintiffs incurred reasonable, adequately documented litigation costs and hereby
5 GRANTS reimbursement of litigation costs in the cumulative amount of $670,885.29, which
6 shall be deducted from the Settlement Fund. Plaintiffs’ request for reimbursement of litigation
7 expenses, in light of all of the facts, is fair and reasonable, and the litigation expenses are
8 adequately documented.
9 4. Class Counsel has the sole and absolute discretion to allocate this award to
10 Plaintiffs’ Counsel and any other attorneys based on each attorney’s contributions to the
11 prosecution and settlement of these Actions. No other counsel will be entitled to an
12 independent award of attorneys’ fees or costs/expenses.
13 5. The Court also authorizes each class representative (i.e., Plaintiffs Brooks and
14 Shabazz), to be awarded $5,000 as a service award for their active participation in this litigation,
15 for a cumulative total of $10,000 in incentive payments, which shall be deducted from the
16 Settlement Fund. Plaintiffs’ request for such service awards, in light of all of the facts, is
17 appropriate under these circumstances.
18 6. The foregoing amounts—$6,875,000 in attorneys’ fees, $670,885.29 in cumulative
19 litigation costs, and $10,000 in cumulative service award payments to class representatives—
20 shall be disbursed within 7 days of this Order from the Settlement Fund now held in escrow.
21 ECF No. 241-1 at XIII.2.
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23 IT IS SO ORDERED.
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DATED: ___________________ __________________________
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The Hon. Edward M. Chen
26 United States District Judge
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[PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR ATTORNEYS’ FEES,
COSTS, AND SERVICE AWARDS
Case No. 3:21-cv-01418-EMC-KAW
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