Breast Implants $46.5M Settlement, Who Gets the Money?

Breast implants settlement money was in the hands of plastic surgery attorney John O’Quinn. He died in October 2009. Who gets the money?

Following the death of plastic surgery attorney John O’Quinn, his estate has agreed to pay around $46 million dollars to more than 3,000 female clients who had been overbilled.

The attorney died in October 2009 in a car crash, but he was the target of a multi-million dollar lawsuit that dates back a full decade, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle. In 1999, thousands of women joined a class action lawsuit stating that O’Quinn won settlements for them in defective breast implant cases and then improperly charged them an extra 1.5 percent for expenses. In July 2007, an arbitration panel found O’Quinn guilty of overbilling. But at the time of his death, he had been appealing that decision, denying having done anything wrong. O’Quinn insisted he didn’t cheat anyone. He also said that when winning settlements for his many clients, he was able to attain what he called “record results” for them while still charging lower fees than other law firms in Houston.

The original finding against the lawyer was $41.4 million. However, over the years, interest had raised the stakes. The amount was up to around $46.5 million at the time he was killed. O’Quinn’s friend and estate executor, Gerald Treece, explained that after much arbitration, it was decided the late lawyer’s case was sure to crumble. It finally made enough sense, Treece said, to agree to a settlement now rather than watch interest raise the amount even higher.

All the original breast implant clients are still involved in the lawsuit and are expected to get their winnings within a few months. The Chronicle reported that some of that $46 million will have to pay for expenses and attorneys’ fees. But in the end, each woman will receive around $11,500.