U. S. Court Approves 415 Million Settlement for Violation of Gambling Law
2023.06.02 13:37
U. S. Court Approves 415 Million Settlement for Violation of Gambling Law
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – A $415 million class-action settlement was approved by a U.S. judge on Thursday to settle claims that online gaming companies DoubleDown Interactive LLC and International Game Technology (NYSE:) PLC broke the consumer protection and gambling laws of Washington state.
The resolution was described as “fair, reasonable, and adequate” by U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik in his decision in the federal court in Seattle. After a hearing in the case, he issued his final approval order, concluding more than four years of litigation.
Customers on the internet claimed that the defendants’ “social casino” games “constitute unlawful gambling under Washington’s gambling laws.” The settlement was the most recent in a progression of related cases.
DoubleDown and British-based International Game Technology have denied any responsibility. The plaintiffs’ claims “rest on novel and untested interpretations of Washington’s gambling laws,” according to their argument.
Players can play the games for free, but they must pay for additional chips. The claim said purchasers bet to secure more chips that they in any case would have to purchase.
According to the attorneys for the plaintiffs, tens of thousands of class members “purchased and lost chips” by wagering at DoubleDown Casino. Users, according to the class attorneys, had the right to sue for their losses under a Washington state law.
On Friday, both DoubleDown and its attorneys did not immediately respond to messages seeking clarification. A request of a similar nature was not immediately answered by lawyers for International Game Technology.
According to Lasnik, seven members of the class opted out of the settlement, but no formal objections were made to the agreement.
Edelson’s plaintiffs’ attorney, Todd Logan, stated on Friday that Edelson’s social-casino litigation has resulted in $651 million for clients and class members.
“Many class members stand to receive, individually, hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Logan stated in the most recent settlement.
Lead class attorneys at Edelson, based in Chicago, received legal fees totaling nearly $121.5 million from Lasnik.
The award of Lasnik’s fee was approximately 29 percent of the settlement fund. The attorneys for the plaintiffs had stated that they would only accept fees of 30%.
Lasnik stated in his order that the litigation was “risky, novel, and hard-fought.” As a result, he approved a request for fees that exceeded the 25% threshold in Washington and the other states that make up the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Benson et al. v. DoubleDown Interactive LLC et al., Western District of Washington, U.S. District Court, No. 2:18-cv-00525-RSL.
Benson’s side: Rafey Balabanian, Jay Edelson, and other Edelson attorneys; For DoubleDown, Cecily Jordan of Tousley Brain Stephens: Davis Wright Tremaine’s Jaime Drozd Allen for International Game Technology: Lauren Instance of Duane Morris, and Adam Pankratz of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak and Stewart
