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LEAD COUNSEL’S MOTION FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION EXPENSES [PLC-23] Master No: 2:08-md-1919 MJP
Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019(212) 554-1400
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The Honorable Marsha J. Pechman
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
AT SEATTLE
IN RE WASHINGTON MUTUAL, INC. SECURITIES & ERISA LITIGATION
) ) ) ) )
No. 2:08-md-1919 MJP
IN RE WASHINGTON MUTUAL, INC. SECURITIES LITIGATION This Document Relates to: ALL CASES
) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )
Lead Case No. C08-387 MJP PLC-23 LEAD COUNSEL’S MOTION FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION EXPENSES NOTE ON MOTION CALENDAR (Settlement Hearing Date): November 4, 2011 at 9:00 a.m.
LEAD COUNSEL’S MOTION FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION EXPENSES [PLC-23] Master No: 2:08-md-1919 MJP
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Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP1285 Avenue of the Americas
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ii
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT .....................................................................................................1
A. Summary Of Case Prosecution And Risks ..............................................................4
B. The Basis For The Fee Request ...............................................................................7
C. Notice To The Class Of The Fee And Expense Application ...................................8
ARGUMENT ...................................................................................................................................9
I. THE REQUESTED ATTORNEYS’ FEES ARE FAIR AND REASONABLE .........................................................................................................9
A. The Court Should Award A Percentage Of The Common Fund .............................9
B. The Requested Fee Of 22.5% Of The Settlement Funds Is Reasonable ................10
1. The Requested Fee Is Reasonable Under The Percentage Method ...........10
2. The Requested Fee Is Reasonable Under The Lodestar Method ...............13
C. Consideration Of The Relevant Factors Used By Courts In The Ninth Circuit Supports The Fee Request .........................................................................15
1. The Results Achieved ................................................................................16
2. The Risks Of The Litigation ......................................................................16
3. The Skill Required And Quality Of The Work Performed ........................18
4. The Contingent Nature Of The Fee And The Financial Burden Carried By Counsel ....................................................................................20
5. Awards Made In Similar Cases..................................................................21
6. The Reaction Of The Class ........................................................................21
7. Public Policy Considerations .....................................................................22
II. LEAD COUNSEL’S EXPENSES ARE REASONABLE AND WERE NECESSARILY INCURRED TO ACHIEVE THE BENEFITS OBTAINED FOR THE CLASS ............................................................23
CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................................................25
LEAD COUNSEL’S MOTION FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION EXPENSES [PLC-23] Master No: 2:08-md-1919 MJP
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Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP1285 Avenue of the Americas
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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Page(s) CASES
Backman v. Polaroid Corp., 910 F.2d 10 (1st Cir. 1990) ......................................................................................................21
Blum v. Stetson, 465 U.S. 886 (1984) .................................................................................................................14
Boeing Co. v. Van Gemert, 444 U.S. 472 (1980) ...................................................................................................................9
California Alliance of Child & Family Services v. Wagner, 2011 WL 2837423 (N.D. Cal. July 15, 2011) ..........................................................................14
City of Roseville Employees’ Retirement System v. Micron Technology, Inc., 2011 WL 1882515 (D. Idaho Apr. 28, 2011) ..........................................................................13
Craft v. County of San Bernardino, 624 F. Supp. 2d 1113 (C.D. Cal. 2008) ...............................................................................9, 10
Dusek v. Mattel, Inc., No. 99-10864-MRP, slip op. (C.D. Cal. Sept. 29, 2003) .........................................................11
Fischel v. Equitable Life Assurance Society, 307 F.3d 997 (9th Cir. 2002) ...................................................................................................10
Gates v. Deukmejian, 987 F.2d 1392 (9th Cir. 1993) .................................................................................................14
Glass v. UBS Financial Services, 331 Fed. Appx. 452 (9th Cir. 2009) .........................................................................................13
Gustafson v. Valley Inssurance Co., 2004 WL 2260605 (D. Or. Oct. 6, 2004) .................................................................................18
Hanlon v. Chrysler Corp., 150 F.3d 1011 (9th Cir. 1998) .............................................................................................9, 10
Harris v. Marhoefer, 24 F.3d 16 (9th Cir. 1994) .......................................................................................................23
Hicks v. Morgan Stanley, 2005 WL 2757792 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 24, 2005) ..........................................................................23
LEAD COUNSEL’S MOTION FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION EXPENSES [PLC-23] Master No: 2:08-md-1919 MJP
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In re Activision Securities Litigation, 723 F. Supp. 1373 (N.D. Cal. 1989) ........................................................................................10
In re AremisSoft Corp. Securities Litigation, 210 F.R.D. 109 (D.N.J. 2002) ..................................................................................................13
In re BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust Securities Litigation, No. C06-1505 MJP, slip op. (W.D. Wash. June 30, 2009) ......................................................11
In re Broadcom Corp. Securities Litigation, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41993 (C.D. Cal. Sept. 12, 2005)...........................................11, 15, 23
In re Brocade Securities Litigation, No. 05-CV-2042-CRB, slip op. (N.D. Cal. Jan. 26, 2009) ......................................................11
In re CMS Energy Securities Litigation, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96786 (E.D. Mich. Sept. 6, 2007) ......................................................12
In re Comverse Technology, Inc. Securities Litigation, 2010 WL 2653354 (E.D.N.Y. June 24, 2010) .........................................................................12
In re DaimlerChrysler AG Securities Litigation, No. 00-0993 (KAJ), slip op. (D. Del. Feb. 5, 2004) ................................................................12
In re Deutsche Telekom AG Securities Litigation, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45798 (S.D.N.Y. June 9, 2005) ...................................................12, 13
In re Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Antitrust Litigation, 2007 WL 2416513 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 16, 2007) ........................................................................20
In re Equity Funding Corp. Securities Litigation, 438 F. Supp. 1303 (C.D. Cal. 1977) ........................................................................................20
In re Heritage Bond Litigation, 2005 WL 1594389 (C.D. Cal. June 10, 2005) ................................................................. passim
In re Informix Corp. Securities Litigation, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23579 (N.D. Cal. Nov. 23, 1999).......................................................11
In re Initial Public Offering Securities Litigation, 671 F. Supp. 2d 467 (S.D.N.Y. 2009) ......................................................................................12
In re KeySpan Corp. Securities Litigation, 2005 WL 3093399 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 30, 2005) ........................................................................20
In re M.D.C. Holdings Securities Litigation, 1990 WL 454747 (S.D. Cal. Aug. 30, 1990) ...........................................................................10
LEAD COUNSEL’S MOTION FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION EXPENSES [PLC-23] Master No: 2:08-md-1919 MJP
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In re Mercury Interactive Corp. Securities Litigation, 618 F.3d 988 (9th Cir. 2010) ...............................................................................................8, 13
In re Merrill Lynch & Co. Research Reports Securities Litigation, 246 F.R.D. 156 (S.D.N.Y. 2007) .............................................................................................12
In re MicroStrategy, Inc. Securities Litigation, 172 F. Supp. 2d 778 (E.D. Va. 2001) ......................................................................................14
In re Omnicom Group, Inc. Securities Litigation, 597 F.3d 501 (2d Cir. 2010).....................................................................................................21
In re Omnivision Technologies, Inc., 559 F. Supp. 2d 1036 (N.D. Cal. 2008) ........................................................................... passim
In re Oracle Securities Litigation, 852 F. Supp. 1437 (N.D. Cal. 1994) ........................................................................................10
In re Oxford Health Plans, Inc. Securities Litigation, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26795 (S.D.N.Y. June 12, 2003) .......................................................12
In re Rite Aid Corp. Securities Litigation, 146 F. Supp. 2d 706 (E.D. Pa. 2001) .......................................................................................12
In re Rite Aid Corp. Securities Litigation, 362 F. Supp. 2d 587 (E.D. Pa. 2005) .......................................................................................12
In re Rite Aid Corp. Securities Litigation, 396 F.3d 294 (3d Cir. 2005).....................................................................................................12
In re Royal Ahold N.V. Securities & ERISA Litigation, 461 F. Supp. 2d 383 (D. Md. 2006) .........................................................................................15
In re Schering-Plough Corp. Securities Litigation, 2009 WL 5218066 (D.N.J. Dec. 31, 2009) ..............................................................................12
In re Veeco Instrstruments Inc. Securities Litigation, 2007 WL 4115808 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 7, 2007) .......................................................................7, 22
In re Washington Public Power Supply Systems Securities Litigation, 19 F.3d 1291 (9th Cir. 1994) .............................................................................................16, 20
In re Williams Securities Litigation, No. 02-CV-72-SPF (FHM), slip op. (N.D. Okla. Feb. 12, 2007) ............................................12
In re Worldcom, Inc. Securities Litigation, 2004 WL 2591402 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 12, 2004) .....................................................................7, 22
LEAD COUNSEL’S MOTION FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION EXPENSES [PLC-23] Master No: 2:08-md-1919 MJP
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Knight v. Red Door Salons, Inc., 2009 WL 248367 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 2, 2009) ...................................................................9, 21, 25
McGuire v. Dendreon Corp., Case No. C07-800 MJP, slip op. (W.D. Wash. Dec. 20, 2010) ...............................................11
Paul, Johnson, Alston & Hunt v. Graulty, 886 F.2d 268 (9th Cir. 1989) ...............................................................................................9, 10
Rodriguez v. West. Publishing Corp., 563 F.3d 948 (9th Cir. 2009) ...................................................................................................10
Six Mexican Workers v. Arizona Citrus Growers, 904 F.2d 1301 (9th Cir. 1990) ...................................................................................................9
Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd., 551 U.S. 308 (2007) .................................................................................................................22
Thornberry v. Delta Air Lines, Inc., 676 F.2d 1240, 1244 (9th Cir. 1982), vacated and remanded on other grounds, 461 U.S. 952 (1983) .................................................................................................................25
Torrisi v. Tuscon Electric Power Co., 8 F.3d 1370 (9th Cir. 1993) .....................................................................................................10
Van Vranken v. Atlantic Richfield Corp., 901 F. Supp. 294 (N.D. Cal. 1995) ..........................................................................................13
Vizcaino v. Microsoft Corp., 290 F.3d 1043 (9th Cir. 2002) ......................................................................................... passim
Westar Energy, Inc. v. Lake, 493 F. Supp. 2d 1126 (D. Kan. 2007) ......................................................................................15
STATUTES
Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. § 78j(b) ......................................................................................................................6
OTHER AUTHORITIES
Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(f) .........................................................................................................................5
Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(h) ....................................................................................................................1, 8
H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 104-369 (1995), reprinted in 1995 U.S.C.C.A.N. 730 (1995) .....................22
LEAD COUNSEL’S MOTION FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION EXPENSES [PLC-23] Master No: 2:08-md-1919 MJP
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Court-appointed Lead Counsel, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP (“Lead
Counsel” or “BLB&G”), having achieved a total recovery of $208.5 million in cash for the
benefit of the Class in this action, respectfully submits this motion, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P.
23(h), for an award of attorneys’ fees on behalf of Plaintiffs’ Counsel in the amount of 22.5% of
each Settlement Fund. Lead Counsel also seeks reimbursement of $5,347,015.07 in Litigation
Expenses that were reasonably and necessarily incurred in prosecuting the Action.
Lead Plaintiff is simultaneously submitting herewith the Declaration of Hannah Ross in
Support of Lead Plaintiff’s Motions for Final Approval of Class Action Settlements and
Approval of Plan of Allocation and Lead Counsel’s Motion for an Award of Attorneys’ Fees and
Litigation Expenses (the “Ross Declaration” or “Ross Decl.”) and Lead Plaintiff’s Motion for
Final Approval of Class Action Settlements (the “Settlement Motion”). For the sake of brevity,
the Court is respectfully referred to the Ross Declaration and the Settlement Motion for a
detailed description of, inter alia: the history of the Action through the submission of the
Settlements to the Court; the nature of the claims asserted in the Action; the negotiations leading
to the Settlements; the value of the Settlements to the Class, as compared to the risks and
uncertainties of continued litigation; and a description of the services Lead Counsel, Liaison
Counsel, and the other Plaintiffs’ Counsel provided for the benefit of the Class.1
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT
After over three years of hard-fought litigation, Plaintiffs’ Counsel have succeeded in
obtaining Settlements on behalf of Lead Plaintiff and the Class totaling $208.5 million, plus
interest. Lead Plaintiff and Lead Counsel believe the Settlements to be an excellent result for the
Class. Lead Counsel, Liaison Counsel, and the other Plaintiffs’ Counsel prosecuted this Action
on behalf of the Class on a purely contingent-fee basis and achieved this result in the face of
significant hurdles and risks to recovery.
1 Unless otherwise noted, capitalized terms shall have the meaning set out in the Ross Declaration or in the Stipulations of Settlement (ECF Nos. 874-1, 874-2 and 874-3).
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The Settlements were achieved only after Lead Counsel, Liaison Counsel, and other
Plaintiffs’ Counsel working under Lead Counsel’s direction had: conducted an extensive
investigation into WaMu’s mortgage loan business; prepared two detailed complaints based on
this investigation; briefed responses to two rounds of motions to dismiss and a motion for
judgment on the pleadings; reviewed and analyzed more than 26 million pages of documents
produced by Defendants and third parties; took or participated in 37 depositions across the
country, including 25 fact depositions and 12 depositions in connection with class certification;
participated in other class certification discovery; successfully moved for class certification;
litigated in the Bankruptcy Court proceedings to protect the claims of the Class; assisted certain
governmental investigations (upon request); retained and consulted with numerous experts; and
participated in a complex and adversarial mediation process. See, e.g., Ross Decl. at ¶ 5.
Lead Counsel’s achievement in obtaining the Settlements is underscored by the
significant risks faced by Plaintiffs with respect to establishing liability and damages in the
Action and the prospect, following WaMu’s bankruptcy, that the Class, if it prevailed at trial,
would probably not be able to recover on a judgment against the Individual Defendants. The
Settlements were accomplished as a result of the unwavering efforts of Lead Counsel, who,
together with Liaison Counsel and the other Plaintiffs’ Counsel, dedicated immense time and
resources, and brought to bear the skill and expertise necessary to achieve the outstanding result
for the Class under the oversight of Lead Plaintiff.
The prosecution of this Action was undertaken by Plaintiffs’ Counsel on an entirely
contingent basis. As described below, Lead Counsel, Liaison Counsel and other Plaintiffs’
Counsel spent over 94,000 hours prosecuting this case and they funded millions of dollars of
expenses without any assurance that they would be compensated and in the face of some of the
finest defense firms in the country doing their best to try to ensure that the Class would recover
nothing. Indeed, when WaMu filed for bankruptcy weeks after the filing of the Consolidated
Complaint, which removed a significant source of potential recovery for the Class, the risk of
non-payment became even greater. As compensation for their efforts on behalf of the Class,
LEAD COUNSEL’S MOTION FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION EXPENSES [PLC-23] Master No: 2:08-md-1919 MJP
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Lead Counsel is applying, on behalf of all Plaintiffs’ Counsel, for attorneys’ fees constituting
22.5% of each Settlement Fund (i.e., 22.5% of each Settlement Amount with any interest earned
thereon), and for reimbursement of $5,347,015.07 in litigation expenses. In addition to Lead
Counsel, the application includes Liaison Counsel Byrnes Keller Cromwell LLP; and counsel for
the other Plaintiffs who assisted in the prosecution of this Action under the direction of Lead
Counsel: Sugarman & Susskind, P.A.; Saxena White, PA; and Murray Frank LLP (formerly
known as Murray, Frank & Sailer LLP). Fees will be allocated among Plaintiffs’ Counsel in a
manner which, in the opinion of Lead Counsel, fairly compensates Plaintiffs’ Counsel for their
respective contributions to the prosecution of the Action. Fees will be allocated only based on
actual legal work performed by Plaintiffs’ Counsel to advance this litigation.
The fee percentage was approved by Lead Plaintiff Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
Board (“Lead Plaintiff” or “Ontario Teachers”), a sophisticated institutional investor with
experience serving as a lead plaintiff in securities class actions and in retaining and negotiating
fees with counsel. Lead Plaintiff, which closely supervised the investigation, prosecution,
mediation and settlement of the Action, approved this fee percentage based on its experience in
serving as a Lead Plaintiff, its knowledge of the attorneys’ fees sought and awarded in other
federal securities class actions, and in light of the considerable risks of the Action and the time
and effort devoted by Plaintiffs’ Counsel. See Declaration of In Ha Jang for the Ontario
Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (“Jang Decl.”), attached as Exhibit 2 to the Ross Declaration, at
¶¶ 24, 26. Judge Layn R. Phillips, a highly respected mediator with broad experience mediating
complex commercial cases, including federal securities class actions, has also stated, based on
his extensive experience mediating similar cases, that he believes the fee request is fair and
reasonable. See Declaration of Layn R. Phillips (the “Phillips Decl.”), attached as Exhibit 1 to
the Ross Declaration, at ¶ 19.
Fees in this Circuit are generally awarded as a percentage of the common fund. The
requested fee percentage here is below the 25% benchmark for such awards established by the
Ninth Circuit (see Vizcaino v. Microsoft Corp., 290 F.3d 1043, 1047 (9th Cir. 2002)), and is
LEAD COUNSEL’S MOTION FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION EXPENSES [PLC-23] Master No: 2:08-md-1919 MJP
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within the range of fee awards customarily granted in securities class actions of comparable size,
complexity and risk. See Section I.B.1 below. The requested fee is also reasonable when
compared to Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s lodestar. The requested 22.5% fee would result in a multiplier
of approximately 1.2 on Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s aggregate lodestar of $38,513,189.00, based on
each firm’s regular current rates. See Ross Decl. ¶ 121. A lodestar multiplier of 1.2 is
reasonable compared to awards in similar cases and in light of the substantial contingency risks
of the litigation.
The expenses incurred by Plaintiffs’ Counsel that are being applied for total
$5,347,015.17 and include the costs of experts, the fees of Lead Plaintiff’s counsel in WaMu’s
bankruptcy proceedings, out-of-town travel, document management costs, and other expenses of
the type typically charged to clients billed by the hour. These expenses, which have been
approved by Lead Plaintiff (see Jang Decl. ¶ 25), were reasonable and necessary to the
prosecution of the Action and Lead Counsel respectfully requests that they be approved for
reimbursement from the Settlement Funds.
For these reasons, as discussed further below, Lead Counsel respectfully submits that the
requested fees and expenses are fair and reasonable and should be granted.
A. Summary Of Case Prosecution And Risks
Lead and Liaison Counsel began to vigorously prosecute the Action immediately upon
their appointment on May 7, 2008. However, the favorable settlements achieved for the Class
were not reached until after nearly three years of their sustained efforts, which were assisted as
appropriate by other Plaintiffs’ Counsel. As explained in greater detail in the Ross Declaration,
by the time the Settlements were reached, Lead Counsel and the other Plaintiffs’ Counsel had,
among other things:
Conducted an extensive investigation, which included interviews with nearly 500 witnesses and a thorough review of publicly available information about WaMu (Ross Decl. ¶¶ 31-37);
Drafted and filed two detailed complaints based upon this investigation (id. ¶¶ 38-39, 42);
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Researched and prepared extensive briefing in opposition to five separate motions to dismiss the Consolidated Complaint, five separate motions to dismiss the Amended Complaint, and a high-stakes motion for judgment on the pleadings (id. ¶¶ 401-41, 43-47, 74-77);
Conducted extensive merits discovery, including the review over 26 million pages of documents produced by Defendants and various third-parties (id. ¶¶ 48-59), and the depositions of 25 fact witnesses (id. ¶¶ 65-66);
Successfully litigated several important discovery disputes before the Court, resulting in the production of numerous critical documents involving WaMu’s regulator, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and Goldman Sachs (¶¶ 60-63);
Successfully litigated a complex and contested motion for class certification (id. ¶¶ 67-72), participated in class certification discovery including 12 depositions (id. ¶ 68) and opposed three Rule 23(f) petitions for appellate review of the Court’s class certification order (id. ¶ 73);
Retained and consulted with experts in accounting and auditing, loan underwriting and statistical analysis, risk management, loss reserve modeling, loss causation, and damages (id. ¶¶ 91-100);
Litigated in WaMu’s Bankruptcy Court proceedings in order to protect the interests of the Class, including, for example, successfully fighting to prevent the Class’s claims from being extinguished (id. ¶¶ 79-83); and
Engaged in extensive settlement negotiations, including several formal mediation sessions with each group of Defendants (id. ¶¶ 85-90).
In sum, the Settlements were achieved only as the result of Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s dedication of
thousands of hours to uncovering the truth about WaMu’s mortgage loan business and advancing
this litigation through their skilled advocacy and hard work.
Additionally, as set forth in greater detail in the Ross Declaration, this Action presented
substantial risks beyond those present in many other class actions prosecuted on a contingency
basis under the exacting standards of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the
“PSLRA”). For example, one of the most significant risks faced by Plaintiffs was the possibility
that the Defendants who were most directly involved in the alleged misconduct would be unable
to afford to pay a substantial judgment at the conclusion of the litigation. See Ross Decl. ¶¶ 7,
102-103. This risk was greatly increased when WaMu declared bankruptcy on September 26,
2008, which stayed the Action against WaMu, and left the Individual Defendants as the only
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active Defendants who could be found liable for the damages suffered by purchasers of certain
WaMu securities, including WaMu common stock. See id. ¶ 7, 103.
While Lead Counsel believed, based on its factual investigation and legal research, that
all claims asserted in the Action were meritorious, Lead Counsel also recognized that Lead
Plaintiff and the Class would face substantial hurdles in establishing liability and proving
damages against Defendants. For example, Lead Counsel recognized that the declines in the
prices of WaMu’s securities had occurred at the same time that many other banks and financial
institutions had suffered losses as part of the global economic meltdown in 2007 and 2008. This
created significant challenges for Lead Counsel in establishing the necessary causal connection
between the revelation of the allegedly false statements in WaMu’s public filings and the
declines in the prices of WaMu’s securities. See Ross Decl. ¶ 104. Lead Counsel also
recognized that there were substantial risks with respect to proving the scienter of the Exchange
Act Defendants and proving the falsity of the alleged misstatements. Here, there had been no
restatement of WaMu’s financial statements, Defendants never acknowledged that any improper
conduct had occurred, and there were no successful criminal prosecutions or SEC civil
enforcement actions against any of the Defendants. See Ross Decl. ¶¶ 9, 105. (On the contrary,
Lead Counsel’s detailed investigation into WaMu’s mortgage loan business, underwriting
practices and appraisal conduct was actually utilized several times by various government
entities in their own subsequent investigations. See id. ¶¶ 34-37.) The Officer Defendants who
were alleged to have violated Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act had argued and would continue
to argue that their statements were not intentionally false because the housing crisis was
completely unexpected and that they lacked any motive to commit fraud, indeed, they claimed to
have actually lost substantial money on their WaMu investments. See id. ¶ 105. Additionally,
Defendants would argue that certain of the statements at issue in the Action were not actionably
false or misleading because they were mere opinions or puffery, or because they were estimates
that later proved inaccurate but were not false at time they were made. See id. ¶ 106. These
litigation risks were magnified by the complexity and technical nature of the subject matter
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underlying the claims, which concerned the quality of WaMu’s loan underwriting, appraisal
process, risk management procedures and accounting for its loan loss reserves. These issues
would have had to be presented to the jury through experts. A jury’s reaction to a “battle of
experts” created an additional level of uncertainty about the outcome of the litigation. See id.
¶¶ 104, 109.
It was in the face of these significant risks (and others) that Lead and Liaison Counsel
achieved the Settlements for Lead Plaintiff and the Class.
B. The Basis For The Fee Request
Lead Counsel is applying for attorneys’ fees for all Plaintiffs’ Counsel in the amount of
22.5% of each Settlement Fund. The fee percentage was approved by Lead Plaintiff Ontario
Teachers, a sophisticated institutional investor with a significant financial stake in the Action.
Ontario Teachers has firsthand knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the Action,
including the risks of litigation and recovering on a judgment and had directly observed Lead
and Liaison Counsel’s dedicated efforts to obtain the outstanding recovery for the Class. See
Jang Decl. ¶¶ 2-22.
In its review and consideration of the fee percentage, Lead Plaintiff evaluated what, in its
opinion, was a fair and reasonable fee for class counsel. See Jang Decl. ¶ 26. In this assessment,
Lead Plaintiff considered the excellent results obtained in the face of the challenges and risks
described above, and the skill and amount of effort exerted by Lead and Liaison Counsel. See id.
¶¶ 24, 26. As a result, Lead Plaintiff approved the request for 22.5% of the Settlement Funds.
Id. The fact that Lead Plaintiff has approved and recommended the Fee Application is a factor
that should be given considerable weight in this Court’s analysis of the reasonableness of the
requested fee. See In re Veeco Instrs. Inc. Sec. Litig., 2007 WL 4115808, at *8 (S.D.N.Y. Nov.
7, 2007); In re Worldcom, Inc. Sec. Litig., 2004 WL 2591402, at *20 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 12, 2004).
In addition, the requested percentage that Lead Plaintiff has approved is below the Ninth
Circuit’s 25% benchmark and is within the range of fees typically awarded in other large,
complex and heavily litigated securities class actions in this and other Circuits. The Fee
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Application is particularly fair and reasonable considering the substantial lodestar that Plaintiffs’
Counsel have amassed. The requested fee represents a lodestar multiplier of 1.2, which, in view
of the substantial risks undertaken, is modest when compared to the multipliers awarded in other
large, complex class actions, including those less procedurally advanced and less aggressively
litigated.
C. Notice To The Class Of The Fee And Expense Application
Pursuant to the Preliminary Approval Order entered by the Court on July 21, 2011, the
Court-appointed Claims Administrator began disseminating the Notice to the Class on August
10, 2011. See Affidavit of Jennifer M. Keough Regarding (A) Mailing of the Notice and the
Proof of Claim and Release; (B) Publication of Summary Notice; and (C) Report on Requests for
Exclusion (“Keough Aff.”), attached as Exhibit 3 to the Ross Declaration, at ¶ 3. As of
September 18, 2011, over 950,000 Notices had been mailed to potential Class Members and
nominees stating that Lead Counsel would seek fees in the amount of 22.5% of each Settlement
Fund and reimbursement of up to $5.8 million in Litigation Expenses. See Keough Aff. ¶ 7 and
Keough Aff. Ex. A at ¶¶ 5, 77.
While the objection deadline (October 10, 2011) has not yet passed, no objections to the
application for fees and expenses have been received to date. See Ross. Decl. ¶¶ 131, 145.
Consistent with Rule 23(h) and the Ninth Circuit’s decision in In re Mercury Interactive Corp.
Sec. Litig., 618 F.3d 988 (9th Cir. 2010), this Motion for an Award of Attorneys’ Fees and
Reimbursement of Litigation Expenses is being filed more than 14 days before the deadline for
objections. The Motion will be available to Class Members on PACER and, free of charge, on
www.WashingtonMutualSecuritiesLitigationSettlement.com, the website developed specifically
for the Settlements. If any objections are received after the filing of this Motion, Lead Counsel
will respond in its reply submission, in accordance with the schedule set by the Court
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ARGUMENT
I. THE REQUESTED ATTORNEYS’ FEES ARE FAIR AND REASONABLE
A. The Court Should Award A Percentage Of The Common Fund
The Supreme Court has long recognized that, when a representative plaintiff successfully
establishes a common fund in which others have a beneficial interest, the costs of the litigation,
including an award of reasonable attorneys’ fees, should be paid from the fund. See Boeing Co.
v. Van Gemert, 444 U.S. 472, 478 (1980) (“[A] litigant or a lawyer who recovers a common fund
for the benefit of persons other than himself or his client is entitled to a reasonable attorney’s fee
from the fund as a whole.”). The purpose of the common fund doctrine is to fairly and
adequately compensate class counsel for their services and prevent the unjust enrichment of
persons who benefit from a lawsuit without bearing its costs. See Boeing, 444 U.S. at 478; Paul,
Johnson, Alston & Hunt v. Graulty, 886 F.2d 268, 271 (9th Cir. 1989).
Courts traditionally have used two methods when determining a reasonable attorneys’ fee
in common fund cases: (1) the percentage method, which awards attorneys’ fees as a percentage
of the fund created for the benefit of the class; and (2) the lodestar approach, in which a lodestar
based on the number of hours expended by counsel and the reasonable hourly rate of the
attorneys is adjusted by an appropriate multiplier to reflect the risks of the litigation, the quality
of the results achieved, the complexity and novelty of the issues presented and other factors. See
Hanlon v. Chrysler Corp., 150 F.3d 1011, 1029 (9th Cir. 1998); Graulty, 886 F.2d at 272.
The Ninth Circuit has repeatedly approved the use of the percentage method in common
fund cases. See, e.g., Vizcaino, 290 F.3d at 1047; Hanlon, 150 F.3d at 1029; Six Mexican
Workers v. Arizona Citrus Growers, 904 F.2d 1301, 1311 (9th Cir. 1990); Graulty, 886 F.2d at
272. Indeed, while district courts have discretion to employ either method, see Vizcaino, 290
F.3d at 1047, the percentage method has become the overwhelmingly favored approach for
awarding fees in common fund cases where the value of the fund is readily ascertainable. See
Knight v. Red Door Salons, Inc., 2009 WL 248367, at *5 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 2, 2009) (“use of the
percentage method in common fund cases appears to be dominant”); Craft v. County of San
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Bernardino, 624 F. Supp. 2d 1113, 1123 (C.D. Cal. 2008) (“the general trend [is] towards the
percentage of the fund method”).
The percentage method is desirable because it most closely aligns the lawyers’ interests
with that of the class and creates an incentive for counsel to achieve the maximum possible
recovery in the shortest amount of time. See Craft, 624 F. Supp. 2d at 1123-24; In re Oracle Sec.
Litig., 852 F. Supp. 1437, 1454 (N.D. Cal. 1994). In addition, the percentage method decreases
the burden imposed on courts by eliminating the need for the detailed and time-consuming
lodestar analysis. See In re M.D.C. Holdings Sec. Litig., 1990 WL 454747, at *8 (S.D. Cal. Aug.
30, 1990); In re Activision Sec. Litig., 723 F. Supp. 1373, 1377-78 (N.D. Cal. 1989). It is also
consistent with the practice in the private marketplace where contingent-fee attorneys are
customarily compensated based on a percentage of the recovery. See M.D.C. Holdings, 1990
WL 454747, at *8.
B. The Requested Fee Of 22.5% Of The Settlement Funds Is Reasonable
Whether the percentage or lodestar method is used, the court must determine that the
amount of the award is reasonable under the circumstances. See, e.g., Rodriguez v. West. Publ’g
Corp., 563 F.3d 948, 968 (9th Cir. 2009). Here, in view of the litigation risks faced; the
magnitude and length of the effort required; the result achieved; the skill required and the quality
of the representation; and the endorsement of the fee by a sophisticated institutional Lead
Plaintiff, an award of 22.5% of the Settlement Funds is reasonable.
1. The Requested Fee Is Reasonable Under The Percentage Method
The Ninth Circuit has recognized that attorneys’ fees awarded under the percentage
method ordinarily range from 20% to 30% of the fund (see Graulty, 886 F.2d at 272), and has
established 25% of the settlement amount as the appropriate benchmark for such awards. See
Fischel v. Equitable Life Assur. Soc’y, 307 F.3d 997, 1006 (9th Cir. 2002); Vizcaino, 290 F.3d at
1047-48; Hanlon, 150 F.3d at 1029; Torrisi v. Tuscon Elec. Power Co., 8 F.3d 1370, 1376 (9th
Cir. 1993); Graulty, 886 F.2d at 272. The 25% benchmark can “be adjusted upward or
downward to account for any unusual circumstances involved in [the] case.” Graulty, 886 F.2d
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at 272. Indeed, “in most common fund cases, the award exceeds that benchmark.” In re
Omnivision Techs. Inc., 559 F. Supp. 2d 1036, 1047 (N.D. Cal. 2008); accord In re Heritage
Bond Litig., 2005 WL 1594403, at *19 & n.14 (C.D. Cal. June 10, 2005).
The 22.5% fee requested here is reasonable because it is below the benchmark
established by the Ninth Circuit and falls within the range of percentage fees generally awarded
in this Circuit in securities class actions and other complex class actions with large recoveries.
See, e.g., In re Brocade Sec. Litig., No. 05-CV-2042-CRB, slip op. at 13 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 26,
2009) (awarding 25% of $160 million settlement fund net of expenses) (attached hereto as
Exhibit 1); In re Broadcom Corp. Sec. Litig., 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41993, at *15-*22 (C.D.
Cal. Sept. 12, 2005) (awarding 25% of $150 million settlement fund); Dusek v. Mattel, Inc., No.
99-10864-MRP, slip op. at 2 (C.D. Cal. Sept. 29, 2003) (awarding 27% of $122 million
settlement fund) (attached hereto as Exhibit 2); In re Informix Corp. Sec. Litig., 1999 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 23579, at *6 (N.D. Cal. Nov. 23, 1999) (awarding 30% of $132 million settlement fund);
see also Vizcaino, 290 F.3d at 1048-50 (affirming award of 28% of a $96.9 million settlement
fund); McGuire v. Dendreon Corp., Case No. C07-800 MJP, ECF No. 235, slip op. at 3-4 (W.D.
Wash. Dec. 20, 2010) (awarding 25% of $16.5 million settlement fund) (attached hereto as
Exhibit 3); In re BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust Sec. Litig., No. C06-1505 MJP, ECF No. 27, slip
op. at 2 (W.D. Wash. June 30, 2009) (awarding 27% of $43.25 million settlement fund) (attached
hereto as Exhibit 4). Indeed, in this multi-district litigation, when the plaintiffs in the ERISA
action settled with certain of these same defendants well over a year ago, the Court approved a
fee application for 25% of the overall settlement. ECF No. 795, slip op. at 4. Here, in order to
achieve the substantial recovery obtained from Defendants, Lead Plaintiff needed to push the
case forward a considerable distance, including through Class certification and extensive merits
discovery. All of this further supports the reasonableness of the fee application here for 22.5%
of the settlement. (Also, as discussed below, the multiplier here is lower than the multiplier
resulting from the 25% fee awarded in the WaMu ERISA case.)
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A review of fee awards in securities class actions in other Circuits with recoveries of
similar size also supports the reasonableness of the requested 22.5% fee. See, e.g., In re
Comverse Tech., Inc. Sec. Litig., 2010 WL 2653354, at *4 (E.D.N.Y. June 24, 2010) (awarding
25% of $225 million settlement fund); In re Schering-Plough Corp. Sec. Litig., 2009 WL
5218066, at *5-*6 (D.N.J. Dec. 31, 2009) (awarding 23% of $165 million settlement); In re
Initial Pub. Offering Sec. Litig., 671 F. Supp. 2d 467, 516 (S.D.N.Y. 2009) (awarding 33.3% of
$510 million net settlement fund); In re CMS Energy Sec. Litig., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96786,
at *14-*15 (E.D. Mich. Sept. 6, 2007) (awarding 22.5% of $200 million settlement fund); In re
Merrill Lynch & Co. Research Reports Sec. Litig., 246 F.R.D. 156, 178 (S.D.N.Y. 2007)
(awarding 24% of $133 million settlement fund); In re Williams Sec. Litig., No. 02-CV-72-SPF
(FHM), slip op. at 2 (N.D. Okla. Feb. 12, 2007) (awarding 25% of $311 million settlement fund)
(attached hereto as Exhibit 5); In re Rite Aid Corp. Sec. Litig., 362 F. Supp. 2d 587, 588-90 (E.D.
Pa. 2005) (awarding 25% of $126.6 million settlement); In re Deutsche Telekom AG Sec. Litig.,
2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45798, at *12-*13 (S.D.N.Y. June 9, 2005) (awarding 28% of $120
million settlement); In re DaimlerChrysler AG Sec. Litig., No. 00-0993 (KAJ), slip op. at 1-2 (D.
Del. Feb. 5, 2004) (awarding 22.5% of $300 million settlement fund net of expenses) (attached
hereto as Exhibit 6); In re Oxford Health Plans, Inc. Sec. Litig., 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26795, at
*13 (S.D.N.Y. June 12, 2003) (awarding 28% of $300 million settlement fund); In re Rite Aid
Corp. Sec. Litig., 146 F. Supp. 2d 706, 734-36 (E.D. Pa. 2001) (awarding 25% of $193 million
settlement fund); see generally In re Rite Aid Corp. Sec. Litig., 396 F.3d 294, 298 (3d Cir. 2005)
(citing a law school professor’s expert declaration reporting that “percentage recoveries between
25% to 30% were ‘fairly standard’ in . . . class actions involving settlements between $100 and
$200 million”).
As discussed below in Section I.C, an analysis of all of the relevant case-specific factors,
including the quality of the results achieved, the time and effort expended by counsel, the
complexity of the issues, and the risks faced in the litigation also bolsters the reasonableness of
the requested fee percentage.
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2. The Requested Fee Is Reasonable Under The Lodestar Method
Although the overwhelming trend among courts in this Circuit is to apply the percentage
approach to determine attorneys’ fees in common fund cases, courts may use a lodestar analysis
as a “cross-check” on the percentage method. See Glass v. UBS Fin. Servs., 331 Fed. Appx. 452,
456 (9th Cir. 2009); Vizcaino, 290 F.3d at 1050-51. In cases of this nature, fees representing
multiples of the lodestar are regularly awarded to reflect the contingency fee risk and other
relevant factors.
In Vizcaino, the Ninth Circuit noted that
courts have routinely enhanced the lodestar to reflect the risk of non-payment in common fund cases. . . . This mirrors the established practice in the private legal market of rewarding attorneys for taking the risk of nonpayment by paying them a premium over their normal hourly rates for winning contingency cases. . . . In common fund cases, attorneys whose compensation depends on their winning the case [] must make up in compensation in the cases they win for the lack of compensation in the cases they lose.
290 F.3d at 1051 (citations and internal quotation marks omitted).
The Ninth Circuit has found that multipliers ranging up to four are frequently awarded in
common fund cases. See Vizcaino, 290 F.3d at 1051 (affirming a 28% award resulting in a 3.65
multiplier); City of Roseville Employees’ Ret. Sys. v. Micron Tech., Inc., 2011 WL 1882515, at
*7 (D. Idaho Apr. 28, 2011) (a “multiplier of 2.72 . . . is relatively standard”); Mercury
Interactive, 2011 WL 826797, at *2 (awarding fee resulting in a multiplier of 3.08, which the
court said was “within the acceptable range”); see also Deutsche Telekom, 2005 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 45798, at *12-*14 (awarding fee representing a 3.97 multiplier); In re AremisSoft Corp.
Sec. Litig., 210 F.R.D. 109, 135 (D.N.J. 2002) (awarding fee representing a 4.3 multiplier); see
generally Van Vranken v. Atlantic Richfield Corp., 901 F. Supp. 294, 298 (N.D. Cal. 1995)
(“Multipliers in the 3-4 range are common in lodestar awards for lengthy and complex class
action litigation.”).
Here, the total lodestar of Plaintiffs’ Counsel, derived by multiplying the hours worked
by each firm’s attorneys and paraprofessionals (over 94,000 hours) by their currently hourly
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rates, is $38,513,189.00, such that the requested 22.5% fee, which amounts to $46,912,500
(before interest) represents about 1.2 times Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s lodestar. A lodestar multiplier
of 1.2 is on the low end of multipliers typically awarded, particularly in relation to the substantial
risks of this litigation. Indeed, in the ERISA settlement, the Court approved a fee application of
25% of the settlement, resulting in a lodestar multiplier of 2.03 on approximately 17,000 hours of
work. See ECF No. 795, slip op. at 4; ECF No. 754, at 9-10.
The hourly rates of Lead Counsel, Liaison Counsel and other Plaintiffs’ Counsel that
were used to generate the lodestar are reasonable and appropriate. First, it is appropriate to
calculate the lodestar using “current rather than historic rates in order to adjust for inflation and
loss of the use of funds.” Gates v. Deukmejian, 987 F.2d 1392, 1406 (9th Cir. 1993); accord
Vizcaino, 209 F.3d at 1051 (approving of the district court’s calculation of the lodestar “at
prevailing rates to compensate for delay in receipt of payment”). Reasonable hourly rates are
determined by reference to the prevailing market rates charged by attorneys of comparable skill
and experience in the relevant community. See Blum v. Stetson, 465 U.S. 886, 895 (1984);
California Alliance of Child & Family Servs. v. Wagner, 2011 WL 2837423, at *2 (N.D. Cal.
July 15, 2011). Here, where the Action was a multi-district litigation and Defendants retained
firms of national scope, many of which had their principal offices in California and New York –
including the New York and Los Angeles offices of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, the Los
Angeles and New York offices of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, the Palo Alto office of Wilson
Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, and the Los Angeles office of Latham & Watkins, LLP – it is
appropriate to consider the relevant legal community to be the national market for securities class
action firms with the skill and resources to undertake litigation of this magnitude. Further, by
agreement of the parties, this Action was mediated by the Honorable Layn Phillips, who has a
national practice and works out of his California and New York offices. See In re
MicroStrategy, Inc. Sec. Litig., 172 F. Supp. 2d 778, 788 (E.D. Va. 2001) (“the hourly rates
charged by counsel, although high for this locality, are nonetheless within the range of
reasonableness for PSLRA cases, where the market for class action attorneys is nationwide and
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populated by very experienced attorneys with excellent credentials”); In re Royal Ahold N.V.
Sec. & ERISA Litig., 461 F. Supp. 2d 383, 386 n.6 (D. Md. 2006) (approving fees in securities
class action and holding that class counsel’s “hourly rates, while somewhat high for this district,
are within a reasonable range for the national firms that prosecuted the case”); see also Westar
Energy, Inc. v. Lake, 493 F. Supp. 2d 1126, 1146 (D. Kan. 2007) (where litigation requires
“specialized skills in a narrow area of law, such as . . . antitrust or other complex litigation” the
court need not rely on local rates but may conclude that “the relevant community . . . [is] that
group of attorneys specializing in the relevant law and in complex litigation”).
Further, even if one were to use Seattle rates for all Plaintiffs’ Counsel, it supports the
reasonableness of the requested fee, because the resulting lodestar multiplier is still a modest 1.8.
This multiplier is also well within the range typically awarded in contingency fee cases and, thus,
the lodestar approach – either restated at Seattle rates or not – fully supports the reasonableness
of the requested 22.5% fee.
In sum, the attorneys’ fees requested are well within the range of what courts in this
Circuit and throughout the country commonly award in complex class actions such as this one
and the requested 22.5% fee is reasonable and fair, whether calculated as a percentage of the
fund or in relation to Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s lodestar.
C. Consideration Of The Relevant Factors Used By Courts In The Ninth Circuit Supports The Fee Request
Courts in the Ninth Circuit have considered the following criteria in analyzing the
reasonableness of a request for attorneys’ fees in a common fund case: (1) the results achieved;
(2) the risks of litigation; (3) the skill required and quality of work; (4) the contingent nature of
the fee and financial burden carried by the plaintiffs; (5) awards made in similar cases; (6) the
reaction of the class; and (7) public policy considerations. See Vizcaino, 290 F.3d at 1048-50;
Omnivision, 559 F. Supp. 2d at 1046-48; Heritage Bond, 2005 WL 1594403, at *18; Broadcom,
2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41993, at *20. As discussed below, application of all these factors
confirms that the 22.5% fee request is reasonable.
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1. The Results Achieved
Courts have consistently recognized that the settlement achieved is a major and perhaps
the most important factor to be considered in determining an appropriate fee award. See
Omnivision, 559 F. Supp. 2d at 1046; Heritage Bond, 2005 WL 1594403, at *19.
Lead Counsel have succeeded in obtaining Settlements providing a total cash recovery of
$208.5 million for the Class in the face of significant risks on dispositive legal issues and
regarding collectability of a judgment. This achievement was the result of Lead Counsel’s
extensive investigation of the issues, vigorous prosecution, skillful presentation of the issues, and
forceful settlement negotiations. The Settlements will provide immediate compensation to the
Class and will avoid the substantial risks of lesser or no recovery due to the defenses to liability
and limited sources of recovery. While the Underwriter Defendants and Deloitte were not
subject to the same financial constraints as WaMu and the Individual Defendants, the only
claims against these Defendants were for violations of the Securities Act with respect to the
notes and preferred stock that were offered during the Class Period. There were no claims
against these Defendants on behalf of the purchasers of WaMu common stock. Thus, recovery
for a very significant portion of the Class rested on the resources available to the Individual
Defendants. Under all these circumstances, the amounts obtained in the Settlements are a
substantial achievement on behalf of the Class and weigh in favor of granting the requested fee.
2. The Risks Of The Litigation
Risks of the litigation are an important factor in determining a fair fee award. See, e.g.,
In re Washington Pub. Power Supply Sys. Sec. Litig. (“WPPSS”), 19 F.3d 1291, 1299-1301 (9th
Cir. 1994); Omnivision, 559 F. Supp. 2d at 1046-47 (“The risk that further litigation might result
in Plaintiffs not recovering at all, particularly [in] a case involving complicated legal issues, is a
significant factor in the award of fees.”).
In this Action, Lead Counsel, like the Class Members, faced substantial risks of lesser or
no recovery. One of the most significant risks in the Action was the possibility that the
Defendants who were most directly involved in the alleged fraud – and the only Defendants who
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could be held liable for fraud claims relating to damages to WaMu common stock – would be
unable to afford to pay a material judgment at the conclusion of the litigation. See Ross Decl.
¶ 102. This risk, in fact, materialized shortly after the filing of the Consolidated Complaint,
when WaMu declared bankruptcy in September 2008, leaving the Individual Defendants and
their insurance policies as the sole sources for payment on certain of the Class’s claims. See id.
¶ 103. This risk was further enhanced because the Individual Defendants’ insurance was a
wasting asset that was rapidly being depleted by the costs of defending this Action (which
involved five separate defense firms), litigations pending before this Court, and several
government investigations. Thus, the Individual Defendants’ ability to pay was being
progressively reduced each month as the Action continued. See id. ¶ 102.
From the outset, Lead Counsel also faced substantial risks in establishing liability and
proving damages on behalf of Lead Plaintiff and the Class against all Defendants. As discussed
above and in detail in the Ross Declaration, these risks included, among others:
A finding that some or all of the Class’s damages were caused by factors (such as the economic crisis) other than the allegedly false and misleading statements (Ross Decl. ¶ 104);
A finding that the Officer Defendants did not act with scienter (id. ¶ 105);
A finding that Defendants’ statements regarding WaMu’s underwriting, risk management, loan loss reserves, financial statements, and internal controls were not false and misleading when made (id. ¶ 106); and
A finding that the Underwriter Defendants and Deloitte had performed adequate due diligence with respect to WaMu’s security offerings (id. ¶ 107).
While Lead Counsel developed persuasive evidence and strong legal arguments
supporting the claims against Defendants, Lead Counsel recognized that if Defendants were
successful in these arguments at any stage of the litigation, total recoverable damages for the
Class would have been greatly reduced or eliminated altogether. In the face of these risks, Lead
Counsel achieved a $208.5 million recovery for the Class. These circumstances further support
the propriety of the requested fee.
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3. The Skill Required And Quality Of The Work Performed
The third factor to consider in determining what fee to award is the skill required and
quality of work performed. See Gustafson v. Valley Ins. Co., 2004 WL 2260605, at *2 (D. Or.
Oct. 6, 2004). “The ‘prosecution and management of a complex national class action requires
unique legal skills and abilities.’ This is particularly true in securities cases because the
[PSLRA] makes it much more difficult for securities plaintiffs to get past a motion to dismiss.”
Omnivision, 559 F. Supp. 2d at 1047; see also In re Heritage Bond Litig., 2005 WL 1594389, at
*12 (C.D. Cal. June 10, 2005) (“The experience of counsel is also a factor in determining the
appropriate fee award.”).
Lead Counsel is among the most experienced and skilled practitioners in the securities
litigation field and has a long and successful track record in such cases. See BLB&G Firm
Resume, attached as Exhibit 6-3 to the Ross Declaration. Liaison Counsel is also a highly skilled
and experienced litigator and trial attorney. See Exhibit 7-3 to the Ross Declaration. From the
outset, Lead Counsel, Liaison Counsel and other Plaintiffs’ Counsel engaged in a coordinated
and dedicated effort to obtain the maximum recovery for the Class and demonstrated that they
were dedicating, and that they would continue to dedicate the resources necessary to develop
their case.
As detailed in the Ross Declaration, Lead and Liaison Counsel conducted an extremely
extensive pre-filing investigation of WaMu’s mortgage loan business that included nearly 500
witness interviews; a thorough review of publicly available information and consultation with a
number of experts. See Ross Decl. ¶¶ 31-37. As a result of their persistent and skillful work,
Lead Plaintiff was able to plead detailed allegations based on their investigation and largely
defeat Defendants’ two rounds of motions to dismiss the complaints. Plaintiffs’ Counsel also
demonstrated the quality of their work in successfully obtaining certification of the Class and,
ultimately, in achieving the Settlements totaling $208.5 million on behalf of the Class.
Related factors that should be considered in judging the skill and quality of the class
counsel’s work are the novelty and complexity of the issues and the magnitude of the litigation.
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See Heritage Bond, 2005 WL 1594403, at *20 (“Courts have recognized that the novelty,
difficulty and complexity of the issues involved are significant factors in determining a fee
award.”). Here, there can be no doubt that the issues involved in this litigation were more
complex than a typical securities action. WaMu was one of the nation’s largest savings and loan
associations before its bankruptcy and its residential mortgage lending, which was the subject of
the allegations in the Complaint, was its principal business. The allegations of the Complaint
addressed numerous distinct aspects of WaMu’s mortgage lending business, including its
underwriting practices, its use of appraisals, and its risk management function, as well as
challenging the proper accounting for WaMu’s loan loss reserves. Unlike many securities cases
which involve the truth or falsity of a discrete fact represented in a public filing, this case was
largely predicated upon omissions to disclose facts about entire facets of WaMu’s business
operations, such as loan underwriting, risk management, and other control procedures, that made
Defendants’ public statements misleading. This entailed discovery regarding many aspects of
WaMu’s business, and the complexity and technical nature of the issues required the retention
and extensive use of experts in a variety of fields, including accounting and auditing, loan
underwriting and statistical analysis, risk management, loss reserve modeling, loss causation, and
damages. See Ross Decl. ¶¶ 91-100. Many of the complex issues that were central to the
allegations of the Complaints, such as the adequacy of WaMu’s loss reserve statistical modeling,
would have to have been presented to a jury through a “battle of the experts.”
The magnitude of the litigation and the scope of the work performed by Plaintiffs’
Counsel are also reflected in the substantial amount of discovery conducted. Here, Plaintiffs’
Counsel successfully obtained, reviewed, and analyzed over 26 million pages of documents from
Defendants and third parties (see Ross Decl. ¶¶ 53-59), and prepared for and participated in 37
depositions of fact and class certification witnesses, including numerous WaMu employees (see
id. ¶ 65-66, 68).
Lead Counsel, through its vigorous prosecution of the Action, made it abundantly clear to
Defendants and their counsel that it was willing and able to take this case to trial, which was
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undoubtedly a factor that encouraged Defendants to engage in settlement discussions, and added
valuable leverage in the negotiations, ultimately resulting in the recovery for the Class. Thus,
Lead Counsel’s extensive efforts and skill leading to the Settlements strongly support the
requested percentage fee.
Finally, the quality and vigor of opposing counsel is also important in evaluating the
services rendered by Lead Counsel. See, e.g., Heritage Bond, 2005 WL 1594403, at *20; In re
Equity Funding Corp. Sec. Litig., 438 F. Supp. 1303, 1337 (C.D. Cal. 1977). The Settling
Defendants were represented by some of the country’s most prominent and highly skilled
defense law firms, including Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP; Davis Wright Tremaine LLP;
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; Gibson, Dunn &
Crutcher LLP; Latham & Watkins, LLP; and Perkins Coie LLP. These firms vigorously litigated
the Action and spared no effort in the defense of their clients. The fact that Plaintiffs’ Counsel
achieved these beneficial Settlements for the Class in the face of such formidable legal
opposition further evidences the quality of their work.
4. The Contingent Nature Of The Fee And The Financial Burden Carried By Counsel
The Ninth Circuit has confirmed that a determination of a fair and reasonable fee must
include consideration of the contingent nature of the fee and the obstacles surmounted in
obtaining the settlement. See WPPSS, 19 F.3d at 1299 (“It is an established practice in the
private legal market to reward attorneys for taking the risk of non-payment by paying them a
premium over their normal hourly rates for winning contingency cases”); Omnivision, 559 F.
Supp. 2d at 1047 (“The importance of assuring adequate representation for plaintiffs who could
not otherwise afford competent attorneys justifies providing those attorneys who do accept
matters on a contingent-fee basis a larger fee than if they were billing by the hour or on a flat
fee.”); In re Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Antitrust Litig., 2007 WL 2416513, at
*1 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 16, 2007) (“Plaintiffs’ counsel risked time and effort and advanced costs and
expenses with no ultimate guarantee of compensation.”).
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Here, Plaintiffs’ Counsel received no compensation for over three years of heated
litigation and invested $38,513,189.00 in time, and incurred expenses totaling $5,347,015.07 in
obtaining the Settlements for the benefit of the Class. See Ross Decl. ¶¶ 121, 133. In addition to
the advancement of costs, lawyers working on the case have forgone the business opportunity to
devote time to other cases. See Vizcaino, 290 F.3d at 1050. Any fee award has always been at
risk, and completely contingent on the result achieved and on this Court’s discretion in awarding
fees and expenses.
Indeed, the risk of no recovery in complex cases is very real. Lead Counsel knows from
personal experience that, despite the most vigorous and competent efforts, their success in
contingent litigation such as this is never guaranteed. The commencement of a class action is no
guarantee of success. These cases are not always settled, nor are plaintiffs’ lawyers always
successful. See, e.g., In re Omnicom Group, Inc. Sec. Litig., 597 F.3d 501 (2d Cir. 2010)
(affirming grant of summary judgment in favor of defendants on loss causation grounds after
several years of litigation); Backman v. Polaroid Corp., 910 F.2d 10 (1st Cir. 1990) (class won a
substantial jury verdict and a motion for judgment n.o.v. was denied, but on appeal judgment
was reversed and the case dismissed, after 11 years of litigation). In light of the significant
challenges to establishing liability and damages and recovering on a judgment that were present
in this case, as discussed above, the contingent nature of fee strongly supports the fee request.
5. Awards Made In Similar Cases
As discussed in Section I.B.1 above, Lead Counsel’s requested fee of 22.5% of the
Settlement Funds is below the Ninth Circuit’s 25% benchmark and is within the range typically
awarded in similar cases.
6. The Reaction Of The Class
The reaction of the class to a proposed settlement and fee request is a relevant factor in
approving fees. See Red Door Salons, 2009 WL 248367, at *7; Omnivision, 559 F. Supp. 2d at
1048. As of September 18, 2011, the Notice had been sent to over 950,000 potential Class
Members and the Summary Notice was published in The Seattle Times and The Wall Street
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Journal and issued over the PR Newswire on August 23, 2011. See Keough Aff. ¶¶ 7-8 (attached
as Exhibit 3 to the Ross Declaration). The Court-approved Notice (attached as Ex. A to the
Keough Aff.) informed Class Members that Lead Counsel intended to apply to the Court for an
award of attorneys’ fees in the amount of 22.5% of the Settlement Funds. The Notice further
advised Class Members of their right to object to the Settlements, the Plan of Allocation, or the
request for attorneys’ fees and expenses. While the deadline for submitting objections does not
expire until October 10, 2011, to date, no Class Member has filed an objection. This factor
further supports the requested fee award.
In addition, Lead Plaintiff Ontario Teachers, which was actively involved in the
prosecution, mediation and settlement of this Action, has approved the fee. See Jang Decl.,
attached as Exhibit 2 to the Ross Decl., at ¶¶ 24, 26. Ontario Teachers is a paradigmatic example
of the type of sophisticated and financially interested investor that Congress envisioned serving
as a fiduciary for the class when it enacted the PSLRA. The PSLRA was intended to encourage
sophisticated institutional investors like Ontario Teachers to assume control of securities class
actions in order to “increase the likelihood that parties with significant holdings in issuers, whose
interests are more strongly aligned with the class of shareholders, will participate in the litigation
and exercise control over the selection and actions of plaintiff’s counsel.” See H.R. Conf. Rep.
No. 104-369, at *27, reprinted in 1995 U.S.C.C.A.N. 730, 731 (1995). Congress believed that
these institutions would be in the best position to monitor the ongoing prosecution of the
litigation and to assess the reasonableness of counsel’s fee request. Accordingly, the
endorsement of the fee by a PSLRA Lead Plaintiff supports approval of the fee. See Veeco
Instrs., 2007 WL 4115808, at *8; Worldcom, 2004 WL 2591402, at *20.
7. Public Policy Considerations
The Supreme Court has “long recognized that meritorious private actions to enforce
federal antifraud securities laws are an essential supplement to criminal prosecutions and civil
enforcement actions.” Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd., 551 U.S. 308, 313 (2007). In
furtherance of this important public policy, courts should award fees that are sufficient to
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encourage plaintiffs’ counsel to bring securities class actions that supplement the efforts of the
SEC, taking into account the risks undertaken in such actions. See Broadcom, 2005 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 41993, at *20-*21 (“Recognizing that the federal securities laws are remedial in nature,
the courts have encouraged fee awards that fairly reward attorneys who have served the
Congressional purpose of enforcing the laws with private lawsuits.”); Hicks v. Morgan Stanley,
2005 WL 2757792, at *9 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 24, 2005) (“To make certain that the public is
represented by talented and experienced trial counsel, the remuneration should be both fair and
rewarding.”).
II. LEAD COUNSEL’S EXPENSES ARE REASONABLE AND WERE NECESSARILY INCURRED TO ACHIEVE THE BENEFITS OBTAINED FOR THE CLASS
Lead Counsel also requests that the Court grant their application for $5,347,015.07 in
reimbursement of costs incurred by Plaintiffs’ Counsel in connection with the prosecution of this
litigation. See Ross Decl. ¶ 133. The appropriate analysis to apply in deciding whether expenses
are compensable in a common fund case of this type is whether the particular costs are of the
type typically billed by attorneys to paying clients in the marketplace. See, e.g., Harris v.
Marhoefer, 24 F.3d 16, 19 (9th Cir. 1994) (class counsel “may recover as part of the award of
attorney’s fees those out-of-pocket expenses that ‘would normally be charged to a fee paying
client.’”); Omnivision, 559 F. Supp. 2d at 1048 (“Attorneys may recover their reasonable
expenses that would typically be billed to paying clients in non-contingency matters.”);
(citations omitted).
From the beginning of the case, Lead Counsel and the other Plaintiffs’ Counsel were
aware that they might not recover any of their expenses, and, at the very least, would not recover
anything until the Action was successfully resolved. Lead Counsel also understood that, even
assuming that the case was ultimately successful, an award of expenses would not compensate
them for the lost use of the funds advanced to prosecute this Action. Thus, Lead Counsel were
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motivated to, and did, take significant steps to minimize expenses whenever practicable without
jeopardizing the vigorous and efficient prosecution of the Action. See Ross Decl. ¶ 134.
The expenses for which Plaintiffs’ Counsel seek reimbursement are the type of expenses
routinely charged to hourly paying clients. For example, a large portion of the litigation
expenses for which reimbursement is sought were incurred for experts’ fees and fees of counsel
who assisted Plaintiffs’ Counsel with respect to bankruptcy issues. Of the total amount of
expenses, over $1.9 million was expended on experts and consultants in the areas of accounting
and auditing; loss causation, market efficiency, and damages; loan underwriting and statistical
analysis, risk management, and loss reserve modeling. The hourly rate of Plaintiffs’ experts was
reasonable (see Ross Decl. ¶ 137) and far less than experts retained by Defendants for similar
purposes. The expertise and assistance provided by these experts was critical to the prosecution
and successful resolution of this Action. See id. ¶¶ 91-100. Fees paid to Lowenstein Sandler PC,
which provided valuable and necessary services as counsel for Lead Plaintiff in WaMu’s Chapter
11 bankruptcy proceedings, came to $921,960.24. See id. ¶ 138.
Another significant expense related to the cost or processing, uploading, hosting and
accessing the over 26 million pages of documents produced to Lead Plaintiff and reviewed by
Plaintiffs’ Counsel. These document management charges amounted to over $1.4 million. See
id. ¶ 139. This system allowed Lead Counsel and Liaison Counsel to coordinate seamlessly in
the preparation for depositions and other aspects of the litigation. See id. ¶ 58. Another large
component of the litigation expenses was for on-line legal and factual research such as Westlaw
and Lexis. This research was necessary to the successful prosecution of the Action and, as
discussed in the respective declarations of Plaintiffs’ Counsel, the costs for which reimbursement
are sought are the amounts billed to Plaintiffs’ Counsel by these vendors. See id. ¶ 140.
Further, Lead Counsel and Liaison Counsel were required to travel in connection with
prosecuting and mediating this matter and taking and defending depositions and, thus, incurred
the related costs of travel tickets, meals, and lodging. Included in the expense request is
$157,613.76 for out-of-town travel expenses necessarily incurred for the prosecution of this
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Litigation. See Ross Decl. ¶ 141. As set forth in Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s respective declarations all
charges for air travel in this application are at coach fare rates. See id. The expenses in this
category are reasonable in amount, and are properly charged against the fund created.
The other expenses for which reimbursement is sought are the types of expenses that are
necessarily incurred in litigation and routinely charged to clients billed by the hour. These
expenses include, among others, long distance telephone and facsimile charges, postage and
delivery expenses, filing fees, photocopying, and court reporters’ fees. See Thornberry v. Delta
Air Lines, Inc., 676 F.2d 1240, 1244 (9th Cir. 1982), vacated and remanded on other grounds,
461 U.S. 952 (1983); see also Red Door Salon, 2009 WL 248367, at *7 (approving of expenses
relating to “online legal research, travel, postage and messenger services, phone and fax charges,
copying, court costs, and the costs of travel”); Omnivision, 559 F. Supp. 2d at 1048 (approving
of expenses relating to “photocopying, printing, postage and messenger services, court costs,
legal research on Lexis and Westlaw, experts and consultants, and the costs of travel for various
attorneys and their staff throughout the case”). Plaintiffs’ Counsel are not seeking
reimbursement for working meals or local travel costs incurred in the Action, although such
costs are typically billed to clients in connection with after-hours work by attorneys and staff
(and reimbursed by courts in common fund cases). See Ross Decl. ¶ 133 n.6.
The Court-approved Notice provided to potential Class Members informed them that
Lead Counsel intended to apply for the reimbursement of litigation expenses in an amount not to
exceed $5.8 million. The amount of expenses now sought – $5,347,015.07 – is less the amount
stated in the Notice. The deadline for objecting to the fee and expense application is October 10,
2011. To date, there have been no objections to the request for reimbursement of expenses.
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, Lead Counsel respectfully requests that the Court approve its
Fee and Expense Application and award attorneys’ fees in the amount of 22.5% of each
Settlement Fund and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses in the amount of $5,347,015.07, to
be paid from the Settlement Funds.
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Dated: September 25, 2011 Respectfully submitted, BERNSTEIN LITOWITZ BERGER &
GROSSMANN LLP By: /s/ Hannah Ross Hannah Ross (pro hac vice) Katherine M. Sinderson (pro hac vice) 1285 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10019 Tel: (212) 554-1400 Fax: (212) 554-1444 Email: [email protected]
Counsel for Lead Plaintiff Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and Lead Counsel for the Class
BYRNES & KELLER LLP Bradley S. Keller, WSBA# 10665 Jofrey M. McWilliam, WSBA# 28441 1000 Second Avenue, Suite 3800 Seattle, Washington 98104 Tel: (206) 622-2000 Fax: (206) 622-2522 Email: [email protected]
[email protected] Liaison Counsel for the Class
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that on September 25, 2011, I electronically filed the foregoing and all of
its attachments with the Clerk of the Court using the CM/ECF system, which will send
notification of such filing to the e-mail addresses on the Court’s Electronic Mail Notice list.
BERNSTEIN LITOWITZ BERGER &
GROSSMANN LLP By: /s/ Hannah Ross Hannah Ross (pro hac vice) Katherine M. Sinderson (pro hac vice) 1285 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10019 Tel: (212) 554-1400 Fax: (212) 554-1444 Email: [email protected]
[email protected] Counsel for Lead Plaintiff Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and Lead Counsel for the Class
BYRNES & KELLER LLP Bradley S. Keller, WSBA# 10665 Jofrey M. McWilliam, WSBA# 28441 1000 Second Avenue, Suite 3800 Seattle, Washington 98104 Tel: (206) 622-2000 Fax: (206) 622-2522 Email: [email protected]
Liaison Counsel for the Class
#577927
Exhibit 1
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1 No. 3:05-CV-02042-CRB
Jeffrey J. Angelovich (admitted Pro Hac Vice)Bradley E. Beckworth (admitted Pro Hac Vice)Susan Whatley (admitted Pro Hac Vice)NIX, PATTERSON & ROACH, L.L.P.205 Linda Drive Daingerfield, Texas 75638Telephone: 903-645-7333 Facsimile: [email protected]@[email protected]
Sean Rommel (admitted Pro Hac Vice)PATTON ROBERTS, PLLCCentury Bank Plaza 2900 St. Michael Drive, Suite 400 Texarkana, TX 75505-6128 Telephone: 903-334-7000Facsimile: [email protected]
Co-Lead Counsel
Laurence D. King (State Bar No. 206423)Linda M. Fong (State Bar No. 124232)KAPLAN FOX & KILSHEIMER LLP555 Montgomery Street, Suite 1501San Francisco, CA 94111Telephone: 415-772-4700Facsimile: [email protected]@KaplanFox.com
Liaison Counsel
Sean M. Handler (admitted Pro Hac Vice)John A. KehoeSCHIFFRIN BARROWAY TOPAZ &KESSLER LLP280 King of Prussia Rd.Radnor, PA 19087Telephone: 610-667-7706Facsimile: [email protected]@sbtklaw.com
Additional Counsel for Erie
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION
In re: BROCADE SECURITIESLITIGATION
))))))))))))))))
Consolidated Case No.: 3:05-CV-02042-CRB
FINAL ORDER AND JUDGMENT
Case3:05-cv-02042-CRB Document496-1 Filed01/26/09 Page1 of 15
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2 No. 3:05-CV-02042-CRB
WHEREAS, a consolidated class action is pending in this Court captioned: In re: Brocade
Securities Litigation, Consolidated Case No. 3:05-CV-02042-CRB (the “Action”);
WHEREAS, the Court previously certified the Class (as defined herein) in this Action by
Order dated October 12, 2007, over the opposition of defendants Brocade Communications Systems,
Inc. (“Brocade” or the “Company”) and Gregory Reyes, Antonio Canova, Larry Sonsini, Seth
Neiman, and Neal Dempsey (collectively, “Individual Defendants”);
WHEREAS, on November 18, 2008, the Court preliminarily certified the same Class for
purposes of effectuating the settlement among Lead Plaintiff and Class Representative, Arkansas
Public Employees Retirement System (“APERS”), and Class Representative, Erie County Public
Employees Retirement System (“ERIE”) (together, “Class Representatives”), and KPMG LLP
(“KPMG” and, collectively with Brocade and the Individual Defendants, “Defendants”);
WHEREAS, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(e), this matter came before the
Court for hearing pursuant to the Preliminary Approval of Settlement Agreement Order dated
November 18, 2008 (the “Notice Order”), on the application of the parties for approval of a
proposed settlement of the Action (the “Settlement”) set forth in the following stipulations: (i) a
Modified Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement dated January 14, 2009 entered into among Class
Representatives, on behalf of themselves and the Class, Brocade and the Individual Defendants (the
“Brocade Stipulation”), and (ii) a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement dated October 23, 2008
entered into among Class Representatives, on behalf of themselves and the Class, and KPMG (the
“KPMG Stipulation,” and together with the Brocade Stipulation, the “Stipulations”);
WHEREAS, due and adequate notice has been given to the Class as required in the Notice
Order; and
WHEREAS, the Court has considered all papers filed and proceedings had herein and
otherwise is fully informed in the premises and good cause appearing therefor;
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED as follows:
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1. This Order and Final Judgment (the “Judgment”) incorporates by reference the
definitions in the Stipulations and all terms used herein shall have the same meanings as set forth
in the Stipulations unless otherwise defined herein.
2. This Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of the Action, and over all parties
to the Action (the “Parties”), including all members of the Class.
3. The Notice of Class Action, Proposed Settlement, Motion for Attorneys’ Fees and
Fairness Hearing (the “Notice”) has been given to the Class, pursuant to and in the manner directed
by the Notice Order, proof of the mailing of the Notice and publication of the Publication Notice
was filed with the Court by Plaintiffs’ Counsel, and full opportunity to be heard has been offered
to all Parties, the Class, and persons and entities in interest. The form and manner of Notice and
Publication Notice are hereby determined to have: (a) constituted the best practicable notice, (b)
constituted notice that was reasonably calculated, under the circumstances, to apprise Class
Members of the pendency of the Action, of the effect of the Stipulations, including the effect of the
releases provided for therein, of their right to object to the proposed Settlement, of their right to
exclude themselves from the Class, and of their right to appear at the Fairness Hearing, (c)
constituted reasonable, due, adequate and sufficient notice to all persons or entities entitled to
receive notice, and (d) met all applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the
United States Constitution (including the Due Process Clause), 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4(a)(7), the Rules
of the Court and all other applicable laws. It is further determined that all members of the Class are
bound by the Judgment herein.
4. In connection with the certification of the Class, the Court has already determined
that each element Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(a) and 23(b)(3) was satisfied as to Class
Representatives’ claims against Brocade and the Individual Defendants and incorporates that prior
order as if set forth fully herein. Additionally, for purposes of effectuating the Settlement, each of
the provisions of Fed. R. Civ. P. 23 has been satisfied and the Action has been properly maintained
according to the provisions of Rules 23(a) and 23(b)(3) as to Class Representatives’ claims against
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KPMG. Specifically, this Court finds that: (a) the Class is so numerous that joinder of all members
is impracticable; (b) there are questions of law and fact common to the Class; (c) the claims of the
Class Representatives are typical of the claims of the Class; (d) Class Representatives and their
counsel have fairly and adequately protected the interests of the Class; (e) the questions of law and
fact common to members of the Class predominate over any questions affecting only individual
members of the Class; and (f) a class action is superior to other available methods for the fair and
efficient adjudication of the controversy considering: (i) the interests of the Class Members in
individually controlling the prosecution of the separate actions, (ii) the extent and nature of any
litigation concerning the controversy already commenced by members of the Class, (iii) the
desirability or undesirability of continuing the litigation of the claims asserted in this Action, and
(iv) the difficulties likely to be encountered in the management of this Action as a class action.
5. Accordingly, the Action is hereby certified as a class action pursuant to Fed. R. Civ.
P. 23(a) and 23(b)(3) for purposes of effectuating the Settlement with KPMG on behalf of the same
Class previously certified in this Action, which consists of: all persons and entities who purchased
or otherwise acquired Brocade common stock between May 18, 2000 and May 15, 2005, inclusive,
and who were damaged thereby (the “Class”). Excluded from the Class are: (a) Defendants; (b) all
officers, directors, and partners of any Defendant and of any Defendant’s partnerships, subsidiaries,
or affiliates at all relevant times; (c) members of the immediate family of any of the foregoing
excluded parties; (d) the legal representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns of any of the foregoing
excluded parties; and (e) any entity in which any of the foregoing excluded parties has or had a
controlling interest at all relevant times. Also excluded from the Class are any putative members
of the Class who excluded themselves by timely requesting exclusion in accordance with the
requirements set forth in the Notice, as listed on Exhibit 1 annexed hereto.
6. The Settlement, and all transactions preparatory or incident thereto, is found to be
fair, reasonable, adequate, and in the best interests of the Class, and is hereby approved. The
Parties are hereby authorized and directed to comply with and to consummate the Settlement in
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accordance with the Stipulations, and the Clerk of this Court is directed to enter and docket this
Judgment in the Action.
7. The Action and all claims included therein, as well as all of the Settled Claims
(defined in the Stipulations and in Paragraph 8(c) below) are dismissed with prejudice as to Class
Representatives and all other members of the Class, and as against each and all of the Released
Parties (defined in the Stipulations and in Paragraph 8(a) below). The Parties are to bear their own
costs, except as otherwise provided in the Stipulations.
8. As used in this Judgment, the terms “Released Parties,” “Related Parties,” “Settled
Claims,” “Settled Defendants’ Claims,” and “Unknown Claims” shall have the meanings set forth
below:
(a) “Released Parties” means Defendants and, as applicable, each of their Related Parties
as defined below.
(b) “Related Parties” means each of Defendants’ past or present directors, officers,
employees, partners, principals, members, insurers, co-insurers, re-insurers, controlling shareholders,
attorneys, advisors, accountants, auditors, personal or legal representatives, predecessors, successors,
parents, subsidiaries, divisions, joint ventures, assigns, spouses, heirs, related or affiliated entities,
any entity in which a Defendant has a controlling interest, any member of any Individual
Defendant’s immediate family, or any trust of which any Individual Defendant is the settlor or which
is for the benefit of any member of an Individual Defendant’s immediate family.
(c) “Settled Claims” means and includes any and all claims, debts, demands,
controversies, obligations, losses, rights or causes of action or liabilities of any kind or nature
whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any claims for damages (whether compensatory, special,
incidental, consequential, punitive, exemplary or otherwise), injunctive relief, declaratory relief,
rescission or rescissionary damages, interest, attorneys’ fees, expert or consulting fees, costs,
expenses, or any other form of legal or equitable relief whatsoever), whether based on federal, state,
local, statutory or common law or any other law, rule or regulation, whether fixed or contingent,
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accrued or un-accrued, liquidated or unliquidated, at law or in equity, matured or unmatured,
whether class or individual in nature, including both known claims and Unknown Claims (defined
herein) that: (i) have been asserted in this Action by Class Representatives on behalf of the Class
and its Class Members against any of the Released Parties, or (ii) have been or could have been
asserted in any forum by Class Representatives, Class Members or any of them against any of the
Released Parties, which arise out of, relate to or are based upon the allegations, transactions, facts,
matters, occurrences, representations or omissions involved, set forth, or referred to in the Complaint
and/or the Amended Complaint. Settled Claims shall also include any claims, debts, demands,
controversies, obligations, losses, rights or causes of action that Class Representatives, Class
Members or any of them may have against the Released Parties or any of them which involve or
relate in any way to the defense of the Action or the Settlement of the Action. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, Settled Claims shall not include: (i) any claims to enforce the Settlement, including,
without limitation, any of the terms of the Stipulations, the Notice Order, this Judgment or any other
orders issued by the Court in connection with the Settlement; (ii) any claims asserted by Persons
who exclude themselves from the Class by timely requesting exclusion in accordance with the
requirements set forth in the Notice; (iii) any claims, rights or causes of action that have been or
could have been asserted in the Derivative Actions and/or the Company Action (as defined in the
Brocade Stipulation); or (iv) any and all claims that have been asserted under the Securities Act of
1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or any other laws, for the allegedly wrongful conduct
complained of in In re Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. Initial Public Offering Securities
Litigation, 01 CV 6613 (SAS)(BSJ), as coordinated for pretrial purposes in In re Initial Public
Offering Securities Litigation, Master File No. 21 MC 92 (SAS), pending in the United States
District Court for the Southern District of New York.
(d) “Settled Defendants’ Claims” means and includes any and all claims, debts, demands,
controversies, obligations, losses, costs, rights or causes of action or liabilities of any kind or nature
whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any claims for damages (whether compensatory, special,
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incidental, consequential, punitive, exemplary or otherwise), injunctive relief, declaratory relief,
rescission or rescissionary damages, interest, attorneys’ fees, expert or consulting fees, costs,
expenses, or any other form of legal or equitable relief whatsoever), whether based on federal, state,
local, statutory or common law or any other law, rule or regulation, whether fixed or contingent,
accrued or unaccrued, liquidated or unliquidated, at law or in equity, matured or unmatured,
including both known claims and Unknown Claims, that have been or could have been asserted in
the Action or any forum by the Released Parties against any of the Class Representatives, Plaintiffs’
Counsel, Class Members or their attorneys, which arise out of or relate in any way to the institution,
prosecution, or settlement of the Action. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Settled Defendants’ Claims
shall not include any claims to enforce the Settlement, including, without limitation, any of the terms
of the Stipulations, the Notice Order, this Judgment or any other orders issued by the Court in
connection with the Settlement .
(e) “Unknown Claims” means any and all claims that any Class Representative or Class
Member does not know or suspect to exist and any and all claims that any Defendant does not know
or suspect to exist in his, her or its favor at the time of the release of the Released Parties which, if
known by him, her or it, might have affected his, her or its settlement with and release of, as
applicable, the Released Parties, Class Representatives, and Class Members, or might have affected
his, her or its decision to object or not to object to this Settlement. The Class Representatives, Class
Members, Defendants and each of them have acknowledged and agreed that he, she or it may
hereafter discover facts in addition to or different from those which he, she or it now knows or
believes to be true with respect to the subject matter of the Settled Claims and/or the Settled
Defendants’ Claims. Nevertheless, with respect to any and all Settled Claims and Settled
Defendants’ Claims, the Parties to the Stipulations have stipulated and agreed that, upon the
Effective Date, they shall expressly waive and each of the Class Members shall be deemed to have,
and by operation of the Judgment shall have, waived all provisions, rights and benefits of California
Civil Code § 1542 and all provisions rights and benefits conferred by any law of any state or
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territory of the United States, or principle of common law, which is similar, comparable or
equivalent to California Civil Code § 1542. California Civil Code § 1542 provides:
A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THECREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HERFAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IFKNOWN BY HIM OR HER MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HISOR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR.
The Parties to the Stipulations have expressly acknowledged and agreed, and the Class Members
shall be deemed to have, and by operation of the Judgment shall have acknowledged and agreed, that
the waiver and release of Unknown Claims constituting Settled Claims and/or Settled Defendants’
Claims was separately bargained for and a material element of the Settlement.
9. (a) In accordance with 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4(f)(7)(A), any and all claims for
contribution arising out of any Settled Claim (i) by any person against Brocade or the Individual
Defendants, and (ii) by Brocade or the Individual Defendants against any person, other than claims
for contribution that Brocade and/or the Special Litigation Committee (as defined in the Brocade
Stipulation) have asserted or may assert against the Individual Defendants, the Related Parties or
any of them, are hereby permanently barred and discharged. In accordance with 15 U.S.C. § 78u-
4(f)(7)(A), any and all claims for contribution arising out of any Settled Claim (i) by any person
against KPMG, and (ii) by KPMG against any person, other than a person whose liability has been
extinguished by the KPMG Settlement, are hereby permanently barred and discharged. This
paragraph 9(a) shall be referred to herein as the “Bar Order.”
(b) Notwithstanding the Bar Order or any other provision or paragraph in this
Judgment or 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4(f)(7)(A) to the contrary, the Individual Defendants have
acknowledged and agreed, and the Court finds, that the Individual Defendants are “person[s]
whose liability has been extinguished” by the Brocade Stipulation within the meaning of 15 U.S.C.
§ 78u-4(f)(7)(A)(ii). Further, the Court finds that the Individual Defendants have knowingly and
expressly waived the right to assert the Bar Order or 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4(f)(7)(A) as a defense to
any claims for contribution that Brocade and/or the Special Litigation Committee have asserted
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or may assert against them in connection with the defense and Settlement of the Action or any
related litigation arising from the transactions and occurrences that form the basis of the Action;
provided, however, that the Individual Defendants and their Related Parties, and each of them,
shall retain the right to defend against any such claims for contribution on other grounds,
including, without limitation: (i) that he or she is not at fault for the conduct giving rise to the
Settlement; (ii) that his or her proportional fault is less than asserted by Brocade and/or the Special
Litigation Committee; (iii) that Brocade is legally and/or contractually obligated to indemnify him
or her for some or all of the Settlement Amount and/or that he or she is not required to reimburse
or repay Brocade for that indemnified amount; and (iv) that the Settlement Amount is greater than
warranted under all of the circumstances. Further, Brocade and the Special Litigation Committee
have agreed that they will not argue or otherwise assert in any forum or proceeding that (i) by
entering into the Brocade Stipulation the Individual Defendants acquiesced in the Settlement
Amount or waived in any way their arguments challenging the Settlement Amount as excessive,
and (ii) the Bar Order in any way affects or impairs the existing rights of the Individual Defendants
to obtain indemnification and advancement of fees incurred in connection with Settled Claims or
any other claim asserted against them. The Individual Defendants have agreed that they will not
argue or otherwise assert in any forum or proceeding that, by entering into the Brocade
Stipulation, Brocade or the Special Litigation Committee in any way compromised or otherwise
affected its/their right to seek to limit or extinguish any purported obligation to indemnify or
advance fees to the Individual Defendants and their Related Parties or to seek to recover any of
the fees or expenses that Brocade has advanced or may advance on behalf of or for the benefit of
the Individual Defendants and/or their Related Parties.
10. Upon the Effective Date, Class Representatives and all Class Members on behalf
of themselves, their personal representatives, heirs, executors, administrators, trustees, successors
and assigns: (a) shall have fully, finally and forever released, relinquished and discharged each and
every one of the Settled Claims against the Released Parties, whether or not any such Class Member
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or Class Representative executes or delivers a Proof of Claim and Release form (“Proof of Claim”);
and (b) shall be deemed to have covenanted not to sue on, and shall forever be barred from suing
on, instituting, prosecuting, continuing, maintaining or asserting in any forum, either directly or
indirectly, on their own behalf or on behalf of any class or other person, any Settled Claim against
any of the Released Parties.
11. Upon the Effective Date, each of the Defendants, on behalf of themselves and their
Related Parties: (a) shall have fully, finally and forever released, relinquished and discharged each
and every one of the Settled Defendants’ Claims; and (b) shall be deemed to have covenanted not
to sue on, and shall forever be barred from suing on, instituting, prosecuting, continuing, maintaining
or asserting in any forum, either directly or indirectly, on their own behalf or on behalf of any class
or other person, any Settled Defendants’ Claim against Class Representatives, Class Members and
their respective counsel, or any of them.
12. Notwithstanding ¶¶ 9-11 herein, nothing in this Judgment shall bar any action or
claim by any of the Parties or the Released Parties to enforce or effectuate the terms of the
Stipulations or this Judgment.
13. This Judgment and the Stipulations, including any provisions contained in the
Stipulations, any negotiations, statements, or proceedings in connection therewith, or any action
undertaken pursuant thereto:
(a) shall not be offered or received against any Released Party as evidence of or
construed as or deemed to be evidence of any presumption, concession, or admission by the
Released Parties with respect to the truth of any fact alleged by any of the plaintiffs or the validity
of any claim that has been or could have been asserted in the Action or in any litigation, or the
deficiency of any defense that has been or could have been asserted in the Action or in any litigation,
or of any liability, negligence, fault, or wrongdoing of any Released Party;
(b) shall not be offered or received against any Released Party as evidence of a
presumption, concession or admission of any fault, misrepresentation or omission with respect to
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any statement or written document approved or made by any Released Party;
(c) shall not be offered or received against any Released Party as evidence of a
presumption, concession or admission with respect to any liability, negligence, fault or wrongdoing
in any civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding, other than such proceedings as may be
necessary to effectuate the provisions of the Stipulations; provided, however, that the Released
Parties may offer or refer to the Stipulations to effectuate the terms of the Stipulations, including the
releases and other liability protection granted them hereunder, and may file the Stipulations and/or
this Judgment in any action that may be brought against them (other than one that has been or may
be brought by Brocade and/or the Special Litigation Committee) in order to support a defense or
counterclaim based on principles of res judicata, collateral estoppel, full faith and credit, release,
good faith settlement, judgment bar or reduction or any other theory of claim preclusion or issue
preclusion or similar defense or counterclaim;
(d) shall not be construed against any Released Party as an admission or concession that
the consideration to be given hereunder represents the amount that could be or would have been
recovered after trial; and
(e) shall not be construed as or received in evidence as an admission, concession or
presumption against the Class Representatives or any of the Class Members that any of their claims
are without merit, or that any defenses asserted by Defendants have any merit, or that damages
recoverable under the Action would not have exceeded the Settlement Amount.
14. The Plan of Allocation is approved as fair and reasonable, and Plaintiffs’ Counsel
and the Claims Administrator are directed to administer the Settlement in accordance with the terms
and provisions of the Stipulations.
15. The Court finds that all Parties and their counsel have complied with each
requirement of the PSLRA and Rules 11 and 37 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure as to all
proceedings herein and that Class Representatives and Plaintiffs’ Counsel at all times acted in the
best interests of the Class and had a good faith basis to bring, maintain and prosecute this Action as
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to each Defendant in accordance with the PSLRA and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11.
16. Only those Class Members who submit valid and timely Proofs of Claim shall be
entitled to receive a distribution from the Net Settlement Fund. The Proof of Claim to be executed
by the Class Members shall further release all Settled Claims against the Released Parties. All Class
Members shall be bound by all of the terms of the Stipulations and this Judgment, including the
releases set forth herein, whether or not they submit a valid and timely Proof of Claim, and shall be
barred from bringing any action against any of the Released Parties concerning the Settled Claims.
17. No Class Member shall have any claim against Plaintiffs’ Counsel, the Claims
Administrator, or other agent designated by Plaintiffs’ Counsel based on the distributions made
substantially in accordance with the Settlement and Plan of Allocation as approved by the Court and
further orders of the Court.
18. No Class Member shall have any claim against the Defendants, Defendants’ counsel,
or any of the Released Parties with respect to: (a) any act, omission or determination of Plaintiffs’
Counsel, the Escrow Agent or the Claims Administrator, or any of their respective designees or
agents, in connection with the administration of the Settlement or otherwise; (b) the management,
investment or distribution of the Gross Settlement Fund and/or the Net Settlement Fund; (c) the Plan
of Allocation; (d) the determination, administration, calculation or payment of claims asserted
against the Gross Settlement Fund and/or the Net Settlement Fund; (e) the administration of the
Escrow Account; (f) any losses suffered by, or fluctuations in the value of, the Gross Settlement
Fund and/or the Net Settlement Fund; or (g) the payment or withholding of any Taxes, expenses
and/or costs incurred in connection with the taxation of the Gross Settlement Fund and/or the Net
Settlement Fund or the filing of any tax returns.
19. Any order approving or modifying the Plan of Allocation set forth in the Notice, or
the application by Plaintiffs’ Counsel for an award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of expenses
or any request of Class Representatives for reimbursement of reasonable costs and expenses shall
not disturb or affect the Finality of this Judgment, the Stipulations or the Settlement contained
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therein.
20. Plaintiffs’ Counsel are hereby awarded a total of $986,039 in reimbursement of
expenses, plus accrued interest. After deducting such expenses from the Gross Settlement Fund,
Plaintiffs’ Counsel also are hereby awarded attorneys’ fees in the amount of 25% of the Gross
Settlement Fund (net of any reimbursed expenses), plus accrued interest, which sum the Court finds
to be fair and reasonable. The foregoing awards of fees and expenses shall be paid to Plaintiffs’
Counsel from the Gross Settlement Fund, and such payment shall be made at the time and in the
manner provided in the Stipulations, with interest from the date the Gross Settlement Fund was
funded to the date of payment at the same net rate that interest is earned by the Gross Settlement
Fund. The appointment and distribution among Plaintiffs’ Counsel of any award of attorneys’ fees
shall be within Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s sole discretion.
21. In making this award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of expenses to be paid
from the Gross Settlement Fund, the Court has considered and found that:
(a) the Settlement has created a fund of $160,098,500 million in cash that is
already on deposit, plus interest thereon, and that numerous Class Members who submit acceptable
Proofs of Claim will benefit from the Settlement;
(b) Over 500,000 copies of the Notice were disseminated to putative Class
Members stating that Plaintiffs’ Counsel were moving for attorneys’ fees not to exceed 25% of the
Gross Settlement Fund and reimbursement of expenses from the Gross Settlement Fund in a total
amount not to exceed $1.2 million, and no objections were filed by any Class Member against the
terms of the proposed Settlement or the ceiling on the fees and expenses contained in the Notice;
(c) Plaintiffs’ Counsel have conducted the litigation and achieved the Settlement
in good faith and with skill, perseverance and diligent advocacy;
(d) The Action involves complex factual and legal issues and was actively
prosecuted for over three years and, in the absence of a settlement, would involve further lengthy
proceedings with uncertain resolution of the complex factual and legal issues;
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(e) Had Plaintiffs’ Counsel not achieved the Settlement there would remain a
significant risk that the Class Representatives and the Class may have recovered less or nothing from
the Defendants;
(f) Plaintiffs’ Counsel have advanced in excess of the requested $986,039 in
costs and expenses to fund the litigation of this Action; and
(g) The amount of attorneys’ fees awarded and expenses reimbursed from the
Gross Settlement Fund are fair and reasonable under all of the circumstances and consistent with
awards in similar cases.
22. No Class Member filed an objection to the terms of the settlement or the fee
application. Two objections were filed by former defendants who are not Class Members. Those
objections have been withdrawn and are no longer before the Court. All other objections, if any, are
hereby denied.
23. Without affecting the Finality of this Judgment in any way, the Court reserves
exclusive and continuing jurisdiction over the Action, the Class Representatives, the Class, and the
Released Parties for purposes of: (a) supervising the implementation, enforcement, construction, and
interpretation of the Stipulations, the Plan of Allocation, and this Judgment; (b) hearing and
determining any application by Plaintiffs’ Counsel for an award of attorneys’ fees, costs, and
expenses and/or reimbursement to the Class Representatives, if such determinations were not made
at the Fairness Hearing; and (c) supervising the distribution of the Gross Settlement Fund and/or the
Net Settlement Fund.
24. In the event that the Settlement is terminated or does not become Final in
accordance with the terms of the Stipulations for any reason whatsoever, or in the event that the
Gross Settlement Fund, or any portion thereof, is returned to Brocade or KPMG, then this Judgment
shall be rendered null and void and shall be vacated to the extent provided by and in accordance with
the Stipulations and, in such event, all orders entered and releases delivered in connection herewith
shall be null and void to the extent provided by and in accordance with the Stipulations.
Case3:05-cv-02042-CRB Document496-1 Filed01/26/09 Page14 of 15
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15 No. 3:05-CV-02042-CRB
25. In the event that, prior to the Effective Date, Class Representatives or Brocade
institutes any legal action against the other to enforce any provision of the Brocade Stipulation or
this Judgment or to declare rights or obligations thereunder, the successful Party or Parties shall be
entitled to recover from the unsuccessful Party or Parties reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs
incurred in connection with any such action. Neither KPMG nor the Individual Defendants shall
have any obligation under this paragraph.
26. There is no reason for delay in the entry of this Judgment and immediate entry by
the Clerk of the Court is expressly directed pursuant to Rule 54(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure.
SIGNED January 26, 2009._______________________________________THE HONORABLE CHARLES R. BREYERUNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
Case3:05-cv-02042-CRB Document496-1 Filed01/26/09 Page15 of 15
Exhibit 2
Case 2:99-cv-10864-MRP-CW Document 264 Filed 09/29/2003 Page 1 of 3
Case 2:99-cv-10864-MRP-CW Document 264 Filed 09/29/2003 Page 2 of 3
Case 2:99-cv-10864-MRP-CW Document 264 Filed 09/29/2003 Page 3 of 3
Exhibit 3
Case 2:07-cv-00800-MJP Document 235 Filed 12/20/10 Page 1 of 6
Case 2:07-cv-00800-MJP Document 235 Filed 12/20/10 Page 2 of 6
Case 2:07-cv-00800-MJP Document 235 Filed 12/20/10 Page 3 of 6
Case 2:07-cv-00800-MJP Document 235 Filed 12/20/10 Page 4 of 6
Case 2:07-cv-00800-MJP Document 235 Filed 12/20/10 Page 5 of 6
Case 2:07-cv-00800-MJP Document 235 Filed 12/20/10 Page 6 of 6
Exhibit 4
ORDER GRANTING AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES AND AWARD FOR LEAD PLAINTIFF’S TIME AND EXPENSES
No. C06-1505 MJP
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THE HONORABLE MARSHA J. PECHMAN
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
AT SEATTLE
IN RE BP PRUDHOE BAY ROYALTY TRUST SECURITIES LITIGATION
))))))))))))))
Case No. C06-1505 MJP
ORDER GRANTING AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES AND AWARD FOR LEAD PLAINTIFF’S TIME AND EXPENSES
Case 2:06-cv-01633-MJP Document 27 Filed 06/30/09 Page 1 of 4
ORDER GRANTING AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES AND AWARD FOR LEAD PLAINTIFF’S TIME AND EXPENSES
1No. C06-1505 MJP
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This matter came before the Court on June 30, 2009, by motion of Lead Counsel for an
award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of expenses and an award for Lead Plaintiff’s time
and expenses. The Court, having considered all papers filed and proceedings conducted herein,
and having reviewed the entire record in the Litigation, and good cause appearing, hereby enters
the following order.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that:
1. The Court, for purposes of this Order, adopts all defined terms as set forth in the
Stipulation of Settlement, dated March 13, 2009, attached as Exhibit 1 to the Declaration of Dan
Drachler in Support of Lead Plaintiff the Teramura Family Trust Group’s Unopposed Motion for
Entry of the Order Preliminarily Approving Settlement, Approving Notice, and Scheduling
Settlement Hearing.
2. The Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of Lead Counsel’s motion and
all matters relating thereto, including all Class Members who have not timely and validly
requested exclusion.
3. Lead Counsel is entitled to a fee paid out of the common fund created for the
benefit of the Class. Boeing Co. v. Van Gemert, 444 U.S. 472, 478-79 (1980). The Ninth Circuit
recognizes the propriety of the percentage of the fund method when awarding fees. Vizcaino v.
Microsoft Corp., 290 F. 3d 1043 (9th Cir. 2002).
4. The Court adopts the percentage of the fund method of awarding fees in this case,
and concludes that the percentage of the fund is the proper method for awarding attorneys’ fees in
this case.
Case 2:06-cv-01633-MJP Document 27 Filed 06/30/09 Page 2 of 4
ORDER GRANTING AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES AND AWARD FOR LEAD PLAINTIFF’S TIME AND EXPENSES
2No. C06-1505 MJP
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5. The Court hereby awards attorneys’ fees of _27_% of the Settlement Fund, to be
paid from the Settlement Fund, as set forth in § VI of the Stipulation, and to include any interest
on such attorneys’ fees at the same rate and for the same period as earned by the Settlement Fund
(until paid).
6. The attorneys’ fee awarded is fair and reasonable based upon the Court’s
consideration of the vigorous prosecution of the Litigation by Lead Counsel and certain other
factors, including: (1) the results achieved; (2) the risk of litigation; (3) the skill required and the
quality of work; (4) the contingent nature of the fee and the financial burden carried by the
plaintiffs; and (5) awards made in similar cases.
7. The objection to the Fee and Expense Application filed by John J. Auld, Jr. and
Nancy S. Auld is hereby overruled.
8. The Court hereby awards Lead Counsel expenses in the aggregate amount of
����������� to be paid as set forth in § VI of the Stipulation, and to include any interest on such
expenses at the same rate and for the same period as earned by the Settlement Fund (until paid).
9. The Court hereby awards to George Allen, the representative of Lead Plaintiff,
���������� for time and expenses. This award is consistent with the provision in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act that allows “the award of reasonable costs and expenses
(including lost wages) directly relating to the representation of the Class to any representative
party serving on behalf of the class,” 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4(a)(4), and is further supported by case
law.
10. The awarded attorneys’ fees and expenses, and interest earned thereon, shall be
paid to Lead Counsel from the Settlement Fund subject to the terms, conditions, and obligations
Case 2:06-cv-01633-MJP Document 27 Filed 06/30/09 Page 3 of 4
ORDER GRANTING AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES AND AWARD FOR LEAD PLAINTIFF’S TIME AND EXPENSES
3No. C06-1505 MJP
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Marsha J. Pechman United States District Judge
of the Stipulation and in particular § VI thereof, which terms, conditions, and obligations are
incorporated herein.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated this 30th day of _June__, 2009
A
Presented by: s/Dan Drachler Dan Drachler, WSBA #27728
Case 2:06-cv-01633-MJP Document 27 Filed 06/30/09 Page 4 of 4
Exhibit 5
Exhibit 6