Former Sonnenschein Partner Expects $2.1M Payday After Jury Says He Deserved More for Lockerbie Work
For a second time, a Superior Court jury in Washington, D.C., has ruled that a former partner of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal was undercompensated for his origination work concerning a case over the bombing of a Pan Am flight above Lockerbie, Scotland.
And this time Douglas Rosenthal (no relation to the firm’s name partner) got around $500,000 more, reports the Blog of Legal Times.
His lawyer says Rosenthal expects to receive about $2.1 million. Although liability has previously been affirmed by the D.C. Court of Appeals, the appellate panel gave Rosenthal the option of another trial on damages, which he took. Under the earlier verdict, he would have gotten around $1.6 million, according to the National Law Journal.
He initially sought some $8.5 million in fees, in a 2005 lawsuit, concerning $18 million in work he allegedly originated for Sonnenschein concerning the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing in 1988.
Lawyers for Sonnenschein did not immediately response to the BLT’s request for comment. However, a firm spokeswoman said in an e-mail that Sonnenschein “remains proud of the efforts by 129 partners, associates, paralegals and other professionals throughout our firm, who spent over 18,000 hours in successfully pursuing claims for our clients in the Pan Am 103 litigation. This matter involved a substantial investment and risk for all our partners, and Mr. Rosenthal was well-compensated for his contributions to the firm’s efforts.”
Rosenthal now works for Constantine Canon, which represented him in the case.
