Public Spectacle? Dark Comedy? Courtroom Drama? White Noise? Stay Tuned.

Above: Aged TV Writer Sits and Ponders the Meaning of It All. Creator: American Red Cross. Albania. 1923. Library of Congress.

     In the May 14, 2012 online edition of The National Law Journal, Zoe Tillman writes about the fight over lawyer’s fees following arbitration about the allocation of fees in the class action brought by older TV writers suing studios, networks, and talent agencies for age discrimination. The litigation resulted in a $70M settlement which Ms. Tillman, in a pun-filled article, describes as a "happy ending" followed by "an opening act in a story line that might seem a cliché" to some – "a fight over money."

     According to Ms. Tillman, class counsel agreed to mediation to avoid "a public spectacle." Mediation failed. Next, an arbitration took place. Now the arbitration award is being challenged by some of the attorneys who claim that the arbitrator exceeded his authority. In August 2011, Judge Michael Rankin of the District of Columbia Superior Court denied motions to vacate most of the award. A hearing before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals is scheduled for June 13, 2012.