A federal jury in Georgia has ordered retired Atlanta defamation attorney Lin Wood to pay $750,000 in attorney fees and costs following a $3.75 million defamation verdict against him. The decision, delivered Friday, came a day after the same jury found Wood liable for defamation in a case brought by three of his former law partners.
Lin Wood Defamation Case : Background of the Defamation Case
The lawsuit stemmed from Wood’s social media posts accusing his former partners — Nicole Wade, Jonathan Grunberg, and G. Taylor Wilson — of being “criminal extortionists” following the dissolution of L. Lin Wood PC in February 2020. The jury’s Thursday verdict awarded $3.75 million in damages to Wade, Grunberg, and Wilson. On Friday, the jury determined that Wood must also pay $750,000 towards their attorney fees and costs.
The plaintiffs had requested 33% of the $3.75 million verdict as attorney fees, a sum reflective of a contingency fee agreement. Plaintiffs’ attorney Drew Beal explained to the jury that such agreements are standard in defamation and First Amendment cases, with legal expert Randolph Mayer testifying that a 33% fee was actually on the low end for the Atlanta market, where fees of 40% are more typical.
Lin Wood Defamation Case : Controversy Over Fee Amounts
Wood’s attorney, Chris Harrison, contested the requested fee amount, arguing that time sheets and records showed the plaintiffs’ attorneys had only accrued $610,834.46 in fees based on hourly rates. He suggested that awarding 33% of the verdict, or $1.23 million, would effectively double their compensation, which he deemed unreasonable. Harrison proposed a more modest fee award of $250,000, arguing it was more in line with the actual work performed.