Court Orders Lawyer’s Fee Paid in Fashion Gift Cards

A lawyer who sued a young women’s clothing store for a technical violation of state law will get a $125,000 fee – in the form of gift cards to the store.

Attorney Neil B. Fineman of Yorba Linda, Calif., brought a class-action lawsuit against Windsor Fashions, a popular purveyor of prom dresses, for asking customers for their phone numbers when they paid by credit card. Although no harm resulted to anyone, this was technically against California law.

Fineman negotiated a settlement in which affected customers would receive $10 gift cards to the store, and Fineman would get a $125,000 fee.

But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brett Klein decided that if gift cards in lieu of cash were good enough for the customers, they were good enough for Fineman, too. He ordered Fineman to accept his fee in the form of 12,500 gift cards, each worth $10.

Fineman will get 3,500 gift cards right away, and another 750 a month between now and early 2010.

According to Windsor’s website, he’ll be able to use them to buy “rock the prom” fashions, rhinestone stilettos, flirty accessories and sassy romantic outfits just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Source: Metropolitan News-Enterprise
Image: Robinsonsmay via Flickr.