$190M Settlement In Suit Against Hopkins OBGYN
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--It was a huge settlement for a huge violation of privacy and trust. The victims were thousands of Maryland women and Johns Hopkins paid a steep price for the doctor responsible.
Alex DeMetrick reports, now it's pay day for the women's lawyers and it's less than they were asking for.
In 2013, Hopkins Gynecologist Dr. Nikita Levy killed himself after his years of voyeurism were exposed.
Using miniature cameras, he secretly photographed and taped his thousands of patients.
The women went to court in a class action law suit against Johns Hopkins. More than 8,000 patients won a settlement of $190-million. Their lawyers asked for $66.5 million of it as their fee. They didn't get it, the judge instead awarded $32-million.
"The attorney's fee determination is going to be based on the context of the particular case that's in front of the judge. So there's no set formula for every case," said Ben Carney, Gordon, Wolfe & Carney.
Ben Carney's law firm was not part of the Levy case, but hi$190M firm specializes on class action suits. He says the victims are the judge's top consideration. In this case, what thousands of women endured in Levy's exam room--and after.
"What's fair from the perspective of the class is what matters in determining whether the attorney's fee should be approved," Carney said.
In statements to the media, the lawyers say they have no intention of appealing the judge's decision, and they are proud of the help they provided.
"Thank god I can have stepped one to closure for this," one woman said.
At least legally.
The $190-million settlement is the largest in U.S. history, involving a single sexual predator.