The plight of a 9/11 victim.

Submitted by mala on Sun, 2006-09-17 13:33. simmons jannace & stagg

When the entire world sympathized the victims of the cruel 9/11 attack, there was an exception.

Many of you may be aware that the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund was created for those who lost loved ones in the attack.

When the attorney who represented a woman who lost her husband in the attack filed a suit in the Federal court seeking a contingency fee of $2,000,000, the world gasped.

Contingency fees by attorneys representing families were disfavored because the fund’s main motive was that the victims should be benefited to the maximum.

So, the disadvantaged woman asked simmons jannace & stagg to argue on behalf of her.

The shrewd Simmons, Jannace & Stagg smartly moved to dismiss the federal action, arguing that the Victims Compensation Fund did not provide federal jurisdiction for an action by an attorney seeking to protect his fee.

In fact there was no reported case upholding such an exorbitant fee for representation before the Victims Compensation Fund, thus pointed by them.

The world cheered when the federal court, after hearing the argument, issued an order and agreed that the Victims Compensation Fund did not provide federal court jurisdiction.

The court also agreed with Simmons, Jannace & Stagg’s argument that it should abstain from exercising its jurisdiction.

The lawyer with a big heart was successful in securing a stay on the attorney’s action.