Edmonds v. Williamson

13 So. 3d 1283, 2009 Miss. LEXIS 300, 2009 WL 1798731
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedJune 25, 2009
Docket2007-CA-00751-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 13 So. 3d 1283 (Edmonds v. Williamson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Edmonds v. Williamson, 13 So. 3d 1283, 2009 Miss. LEXIS 300, 2009 WL 1798731 (Mich. 2009).

Opinion

GRAVES, Presiding Justice,

for the Court.

¶ 1. This case involves a dispute between the plaintiffs, Lisa Edmonds (“Edmonds”) and Larry Edmonds (together, the “Ed-mondses”), and the defendants, all of whom are attorneys, Edward Williamson (“Williamson”), Michael Miller (“Miller”), and George W. Healy, IV (“Healy”). The plaintiffs filed suit in Kemper County Circuit Court, asserting claims of legal malpractice against Williamson and Miller. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Williamson and Miller. Thereafter, the plaintiffs appealed to this Court. The plaintiffs also appeal from an order entered by the trial court regarding the plaintiffs’ dispute with Healy about their case file.

FACTS

¶ 2. The underlying dispute in this case arises out of the Phen-Fen products liability litigation in Williams v. American Home Products Corporation, Civil Action No.2000-207, in Holmes County Circuit Court. Lisa Edmonds was one of the claimants from Mississippi who was involved in this litigation. She retained Williamson to represent her in connection with the Phen-Fen litigation, entering into a representation agreement (the “Representation Agreement”) with Williamson and his firm, Edward A. Williamson, P.A., on November 17, 2000. The Representation Agreement set out the attorneys’ fees for the litigation, which increased as the litigation progressed through various *1285 stages. The Representation Agreement states, in relevant part:

COMPENSATION: In the event of any recovery had by, settlement obtained for, or payment made to the client(s) in connection with the above referred to claim or right of action, EDWARD A. WILLIAMSON, shall be entitled to and shall be paid a percentage of the gross proceeds in accord with the following schedule:
a. In the event of settlement prior to filing suit, the completion of mediation, or the initiation of arbitration ... 33 1/3%
b. In the event settlement is obtained after suit is filed, mediation is successfully completed, or arbitration is initiated, but before the time allowed for discovery, final pre-trial hearing or commencement of trial preparation, whichever is earlier ... 40%
c. In the event settlement is obtained after suit is filed, and after time permitted for discovery, final pretrial hearing or the commencement of trial preparation, whichever is earlier ... 45%
d. In the event that an appeal is taken by or on behalf of Client or any Defendant ... 50%

¶ 3. After a series of mediations and negotiations, Williamson, Miller, and Edward Blackmon (“Blackmon”), a Mississippi attorney, were able to reach a settlement agreement with American Home Products (“AHP”) after trial proceedings had begun for the Phen-Fen matter. The agreement is memorialized in a letter, dated April 24, 2001, from Helene Madonick, counsel for AHP, to Williamson, Miller, and Blackmon. The letter agreement stated in part that AHP would pay $55,000,000 to the Mississippi claimants to settle all their claims and that, in exchange, Williamson, Miller, and Blackmon would provide AHP with signed releases from each claimant. Thereafter, by order of the Holmes County Circuit Court, a Qualified Settlement Fund (“QSF”) was established on May 15, 2001. SunTrust Bank was designated to manage the QSF.

¶ 4. During the course of the negotiations between AHP and Williamson, Miller, and Blackmon, there developed a dispute between Edmonds and Williamson over whether Edmonds had authorized Williamson to settle her claims for $1,500,000 gross or $1,500,000 net. The dispute was resolved and, ultimately, the Edmondses received $1,504,319.77 net. 2 In order to receive the settlement proceeds, the Edmondses signed a Confidential Release, Indemnity and Assignment with AHP on May 5, 2001.

¶ 5. On May 9, 2001, Edmonds and Williamson entered into an agreement (the “Agreement”) stating that Edmonds would pay Williamson attorneys’ fees in the amount of 45% of the gross settlement proceeds. This Agreement was signed by both Williamson and Edmonds and witnessed by Glinda “Kookie” Bowles, Donna Herrington, and Linda Holley. Also on May 9, 2001, Edmonds signed an acknowledgment (the “Acknowledgment”) stating that there would be “very substantial” expenses resulting from the Phen-Fen litigation. The Acknowledgment further stated that “[t]hree percent of the gross recovery for expenses ordered to be deducted from each settlement by the multi-district litigation authority” (the “MDL fee”) would be deducted from her settlement proceeds.

¶ 6. Sometime after signing the Agreement and the Acknowledgment, Edmonds became unhappy with the fact that Wil *1286 liamson was charging her attorneys’ fees in the amount of 45% and that the MDL fee had been deducted from her settlement proceeds. The record includes correspondence between Edmonds and Williamson illustrating Edmonds’ position regarding fees and expenses. On July 15, 2002, the Edmondses filed a complaint in Kemper County Circuit Court against Williamson and Edward A. Williamson, P.A. (together, the “Williamson Defendants”). In their complaint, the Edmondses alleged, in relevant part, that Williamson wrongly charged Edmonds attorneys’ fees in the amount of 45% and that Williamson wrongly allowed the MDL fee to be deducted. The Edmondses claimed that Williamson wrongly charged her the attorneys’ fees because she was not a named plaintiff in the Williams matter. They also asserted that Williamson wrongly allowed the MDL fee to be deducted because “[t]here is nothing in Ms. Edmonds’ contract with Mr. Williamson which authorizes deducting this 3% ... Ms. Edmonds has not seen any court order which authorizes deducting this 3% ... and it is not clear how the 3% was calculated or why Mr. Williamson feels that the 3% should be deducted from Ms. Edmonds’ share of the gross recovery.” The Edmondses argued that by, inter alia, charging Edmonds excessive fees, Williamson “breached his duty of care, breached his contractual obligations, or breached his duty of loyalty (fiduciary duty).”

¶ 7. Williamson subsequently filed an answer, and the parties proceeded to engage in extensive discovery. The Edmondses subsequently amended their complaint twice to specify a damages amount and to assert Larry Edmonds’ claims against the Williamson Defendants and to add Miller as a defendant. The Edmondses also filed a separate complaint against Miller on March 11, 2004. On February 26, 2003, Williamson filed a motion to dismiss or transfer, which the trial court denied on April 11, 2003. An interlocutory appeal was taken, and this Court affirmed the trial court’s decision on August 12, 2004. Williamson v. Edmonds, 880 So.2d 310 (Miss.2004). Following this Court’s decision, the parties continued to engage in discovery. On October 7, 2004, the Ed-mondses filed a motion to consolidate the cases against Williamson and Miller, which the trial court granted on October 13, 2004.

¶ 8. On August 16, 2005, the Williamson Defendants filed a motion for summary judgment arguing that Edmonds was contractually bound to pay the attorneys’ fees and to allow the MDL fee to be deducted and that her claims were barred by waiver and estoppel and accord and satisfaction.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
13 So. 3d 1283, 2009 Miss. LEXIS 300, 2009 WL 1798731, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/edmonds-v-williamson-miss-2009.