MBM Financial Corp. v. Woodlands Operating Co.

Since Jtmidyce v. Jamdyce, 1 there have been charges that some cases benefit the lawyers more than the clients. But suits cannot be maintained solely for the attorney’s fees; a client must gain something before attorney’s fees can be awarded. While making losing parties bear their ovu attorney’s fees may add injury to insult, the American Rule has long been that each party pays its own lawyers.

In this case, the plaintiff obtained a judgment for $1,000 in damages and almost $150,000 in attorney’s fees. But there was no evidence to support the amount of the $1,000 award, and it is too large to…