Last month, we wrote about another Lower Merion webcam lawsuit, this time brought by Paige Robbins, the sister of the original student-plaintiff who kicked off the webcam lawsuits.
In a surprising turn, the now 20-year-old former student has withdrawn her lawsuit after reportedly having some differences with her attorney.
Earlier this week, Mary Elizabeth Bogan, the attorney for Robbins, asked a federal judge to let her back out of representing Robbins, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer. The lawyer cited "irreconcilable differences" with Robbins apparently over whether she was going to be paid or not.
Bogan says that she had agreed with Robbins and her family that she would be paid a cut of whatever they recovered against the Lower Merion school district. However, Robbins countered that her lawyer had agreed to work for free, reports the Inquirer.
It has been suggested that the misunderstanding may have been due to the bad press that Robbins and her family received after filing their lawsuit (they were painted as gold diggers), and so the the family changed their stance and said they were never after any money and wanted their attorney to work pro bono too.
Regardless of the reason for the misunderstanding, Bogan asked to be let out and Robbins asked a judge to dismiss her lawsuit. The judge agreed to dismiss the case.
Paige Robbins and Mary Elizabeth Bogan should have had a better understanding over the fee schedule. When choosing a lawyer, one of the most important steps is to get in writing how the attorney will be paid and how much the attorney will be paid. Without such a writing, fights between clients and their attorneys can overshadow legitimate lawsuits.
Paige Robbins and her Lower Merion webcam lawsuit went down without a fight. Robbins and her attorney could not agree on a fee schedule, and the plaintiff chose to drop her case instead of continuing her fight, perhaps confirming the strength (or weakness) of her case.
Related Resources:
- Find a Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney (FindLaw)
- Paige Robbins voluntarily withdraws Lower Merion webcam lawsuit (Main Line Media News)
- Ten Commonly Asked Questions on Student Rights (FindLaw)
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