In Brief: Court Snubs Plaintiff Billed $90 for $2 Settlement

The Supreme Court has denied a class-action plaintiff's request to sue his attorneys and Bank of Boston over his settlement in a mortgage escrow case.

The plaintiff, Dexter Kamilewicz, said he received a $2 settlement but had to pay $90 in lawyers fees after the unit of BankBoston Corp. and his lawyers negotiated an agreement. He filed a federal lawsuit accusing his lawyers of malpractice and of conspiring with Bank of Boston to defraud him.

The Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Kamilewicz couldn't have the case decision overturned in another court.

In the original case, over 715,000 mortgage customers were compensated after an Alabama court ruled that Bank of Boston was requiring customers to keep too much in their escrow accounts. Bank of Boston agreed to cut these accounts by 19%, and paid up to $8.76 per person.

Plaintiff's attorneys on the case received $8.5 million in fees.

Dozens of class actions in the mortgage industry have been settled in the past year. Mr. Kamilewicz's has been closely watched by plaintiffs' attorneys, who welcomed the Supreme Court decision.

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