A federal judge in Kansas has largely signed off on a special master’s recommendation on how to dole out $503 million in legal fees as part of a $1.5 billion settlement with Syngenta over genetically modified corn.
In a Dec. 31 order, U.S. District Judge John Lungstrum rejected arguments from Texas plaintiffs lawyer Mikal Watts, who has sought up to $150 million in fees. Watts was among more than a dozen lawyers who raised concerns at a hearing last month about the special master’s report, which divvied up fees to about 400 law firms.
