SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A judge has decided lawyers should receive $1.5 million from refunds stemming from lawsuits that struck down an Illinois law making retirees pay premiums for state-subsidized health insurance.
The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that Sangamon County Associate Judge Steven Nardulli made the decision. It’s less than half the amount lawyers requested. The money will come from about $63 million in health insurance premiums that were collected from retirees’ pension checks.
The state Supreme Court ruled last summer that the law was unconstitutional because it altered promised benefits.
The judge’s ruling says the attorney fees will amount to 2.37 percent of the premium money. When refunds are made $2.37 will be deducted to pay legal fees for every $100 in premium refunds due to an employee.