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Judge Mulling Attorneys' Cut of Johns Hopkins Settlement

Johns Hopkins
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Johns Hopkins

BALTIMORE (AP) - A Baltimore judge is weighing what percentage of a $190 million settlement to earmark for lawyers representing more than 8,000 plaintiffs.

A judge heard arguments Thursday from attorneys representing thousands of former patients of Dr. Nikita Levy, a gynecologist who was fired from a Johns Hopkins-affiliated clinic after a colleague raised concerns that he was secretly recording women during exams with a spy camera. Levy committed suicide days after investigators raided his home and recovered hundreds of images and videos.

Hopkins agreed to pay the women $190 million in July. The settlement was finalized on Sept. 19.

The plaintiffs' attorneys, from eight firms, are asking for 35 percent of the settlement, roughly $66.5 million. But an attorney filed an objection to the proposed fees, arguing the number is too high.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.