Culpepper & Carroll, PLLC v. Cole
Supreme Court of Louisiana
929 So. 2d 1224 (2006)
Relevant factsFree
Culpepper (defendant law firm) negotiated a will-contest settlement offer worth over $21,000 more than Cole (plaintiff) would have received under his mother's will, but Cole rejected it believing he deserved more, prompting Culpepper to refuse further work and Cole to terminate him; Cole then represented himself, lost the case, and recovered nothing, after which Culpepper sued for one-third of the rejected offer as his contingent fee, and the trial and appellate courts ruled for Culpepper.
IssueFree
Whether an attorney working on a contingent-fee basis may collect a fee if the attorney does not obtain recovery for the client.