House v. NCAA plaintiff attorneys request $18.6M in first-year settlement fees
The law firms Hagens Berman and Winston Taylor, serving as class co-counsel in the House v. NCAA settlement, have asked a federal magistrate judge to approve $18.6 million in fees for work performed during the settlement's first year. The request breaks down into roughly $3.81 million for monitoring and enforcement activity, $14.82 million in incentive fees linked to the college athlete revenue-sharing pool, and approximately $200,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, covering more than 3,430 hours of work logged between June 2025 and June 2026. Attorneys Jeffrey Kessler and Steve Berman reported that their auditing efforts uncovered more than $88 million in school finances not reported to the NCAA's financial tracking system, and credited that work with unlocking an additional $44 million in athlete compensation during the current academic year. The new fee request would be separate from the nearly $515 million in fees Judge Claudia Wilken approved in July 2025, and all settlement funds remain in escrow pending a 9th Circuit appeal scheduled for a December 7 hearing.
Why it matters
For service providers: Attorneys disclosed they are not seeking fees for work related to class members selling claims to third-party purchasers, keeping that activity in focus for the court.
For athletes: Class members cannot receive any settlement funds, including backpay damages, until the 9th Circuit resolves the pending appeals.
For collectives: The confirmed $1.976 billion revenue-sharing pool for 2026-27 exceeded expert projections by more than $300 million, signaling broader financial obligations for programs funding athlete compensation.
Read the full story at Sportico
Sources
- Sportico · Daniel: House v. NCAA Attorneys Seek $18.6M for Year 1 Settlement Work