Judge Questions $27M Lawyer Fees in $100M Small Developer Settlement

10 JUNE 2022 - An interesting twist in a case against Apple. Back in 2019, a group of small developers sued the Cupertino-company over its control over the sale of iOS apps and the 30% commission Apple exacts. Apple settled with the plaintiffs, and established a Small Developer Assistance Fund. That fund would see Apple kick in $100 million dollars for affected developers, minus fees for class attorneys.

And there’s the twist. 9 to 5 Mac says the judge overseeing the case, Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers, has a question about the attorney fees - specifically, why are they $27 million? The piece cites a Law360 report that had the judge asking to see the lawyers’ math. The site has the judge telling the law firm of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP:

…to submit a mathematical breakdown of how much each class member would receive if she awarded class counsel $25 million in fees instead of the $27 million they requested from the nonreversionary settlement.

The judge noted that for some developers, who she pointed out “really are the people who are taking the brunt of this,” the difference between $1,000 and $2,000 may be significant.

“That’s why I want to see the numbers,” she said.

Between this and her questioning around the Apple v. Epic trial - it’s hard not to like Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers.