Lieff Cabraser and Joseph Saveri Law Firm would have benefited from the proposed settlement by making up to $75 million in fees while class members would have received a maximum of several thousand dollars each.
The New York Times wrote that "Judge Koh appeared annoyed that the lawyers for the class were taking the easy way out by settling rather than going to trial."
[11] Opponents of the state's actions included the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, who argued that California's donor disclosure demands "infringe the First Amendment right to associational privacy, in light of the state's demonstrated inability to maintain the confidentiality of that information.
"[12] In July 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6–3 decision that California's requirement burdened the donors' First Amendment rights and was not narrowly tailored, and thus invalid.
[13] In February 2022, Lieff Cabraser lost an appeal of sanctions it received after a judge found it and other firms behind a $300 million class action settlement with State Street Corporation had engaged in misconduct while pursuing fees.