Judge: Mississippi Lawyer Owes Diet Drug Claimants $600K

A judge has ruled that a Jackson attorney owes two former clients a combined $600,000 from more than $4.5 million in attorney fees he received in a diet drug settlement case dating to the early 2000s.

The Clarion-Ledger reported whether Herbert Lee Jr. owes former clients Deborah Dixon and Gloria Thompson additional money will be up to a Hinds County jury.

The women’s breach of contract lawsuit began this week.

The jury must determine whether Lee’s contingency contract specified a 40 percent fee instead of the 45 percent fee he received.

Lee’s attorney said all the contracts came up missing from Lee’s office.

Dixon and Thompson were among 13 individuals who hired Lee to represent them in the litigation against the manufacturer of the diet-drug Fen-Phen.