Court scolds firm paying advances on settlements
by MaryClaire Dale Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA — A federal appeals court, ruling in a case linked to the 1985 MOVE bombing in Philadelphia, blasted a Texas company that offers lump-sum advances to plaintiffs who settle lawsuits.
The settlement stemmed from a lawsuit filed against the city for allowing its police officers to drop a bomb on the inner city compound of the anti-establishment group MOVE. Birdie Africa, then 13, was one of only two people to survive the bombing, which killed his mother and 10 others.
Africa and his father, Andino Ward, settled their lawsuit with the city in 1991 for $840,000 plus lifelong, escalating monthly payments that started at $1,000 each. In 2005, Ward agreed to sign over an estimated $334,000 of his future payments in exchange for about $32,000 upfront from a Houston company, Rapid Settlements…….Court scolds firm paying advances on settlements
published at chron.com business news
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