The verdict Is In

DAY 86

At 10:00 the jury reported they were ready to give a verdict. The judge expected a long session of motions and set the time at 1:00 PM.

Before eleven Sam’s cell phone rang. The defense counsel wanted to meet. By 12:45 they were entering the courtroom. When the judge opened Sam stood. “Your honor.”

“Yes.”

“With your approval we will submit to the court an agreement we just signed in the last half hour.”

“Can I ask why we could not have come to this agreement sooner?”

“Your Honor. I apologize for myself and defense counsel. I assure you they have made an offer I could not refuse and far better in several areas than any previous offer.”

“How can I be sure you can accept that offer for your clients?”

He pulled a pile of paper from his briefcase. “I had each client agree to allow me to accept any settlement that gave them each more than two and three quarters of a million. The defendants offered three and three quarters of a million for each plaintiff. We accepted.”

“But Mr. Stitt. That will only give each plaintiff two and one half of a million after your one third fee.”

“Well. Your honor. I didn’t see it a good idea to take a full third. That would be over a hundred twenty five million. So I’ll be taking nine hundred thousand for each leaving them with two point eighty five million. The two firms who helped will each get two hundred thousand of the nine hundred thousand. It leaves me with five hundred thousand each. It’s over thirty six million, maybe a lot more than I deserved.”

The judge handed the papers to the clerk. “Check the names, but if Sam says they are there I suspect they will be in order.”

The judge looked at the agreement. “This says there will be checks issued within four months? Why that long?”

“Judge. This is a lot of money. I don’t want this settlement to hurt someone. To help the plaintiffs they have agreed to a one hundred fifty thousand dollar payment to each of the plaintiffs in forty eight hours, delivered Fed Express, and then the remainder in three equal payments, one each month. I will get a check for three million now and the rest will be paid over the following eleven months.

I wanted to give the plaintiffs some money now. Some still have medical bills and some need care now. And I know this much money is a drain on even a large company. I can wait for most of it but my partners and I needed a little now to have enough money now for my payroll and expenses. I asked the partner firms to wait too. They agreed.”