Firm where Musgrove works to get 20% of $38M judgement
Hood has contracted with Ridgeland-based law firm Copeland Cook Taylor & Bush to sue more than 50 drug companies on similar grounds. He already had settled with seven companies for $38.7 million.
Copeland normally is a defense firm and much of its work is done defending insurance companies. But the firm, which includes former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, brought the possible lawsuit to Hood in 2005.
Similar lawsuits have been filed against drug companies by other states and by the federal government.
Hood said the exact amount Copeland receives from the lawsuits will not be known until the litigation is complete. He estimated the law firm will receive about 20 percent of the settlement against Sandoz. Hood said under the terms of the contracts, which are posted on the web, the law firm receives more if the case goes to trial and is appealed.
Hood has been criticized for entering into contracts with private firms. But he said his team of six litigators is handling more than 3,000 civil cases and does not have the resources to pursue such a complex and costly case.
Under the terms of the contract, attorneys Hood contracts with only are reimbursed if they are successful.
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
9/6/11
