Baker v. Washington Mutual Finance Group
We challenged a proposed class action settlement of predatory lending claims by Mississippi homeowners against Washington Mutual Finance Group, LLC, and other affiliated financial institutions, as an abuse of both the class action device and class members’ rights. In objections filed on behalf of class members, we contended that the proposed settlement unconstitutionally attempts to cap the defendants’ liability by preventing class members from opting their punitive damages claims out of the class action settlement. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rejected our challenge. Former Public Justice Attorney Richard Frankel was lead counsel on the appeal, along with Public Justice’s Leslie Brueckner. Co-counsel are Charles Mullins of Jackson, Mississippi, and Peter T. Martin of Aberdeen, Mississippi.
