Affirming a trial judge, the Georgia Court of Appeals said an auto accident plaintiff who gleaned a $5 million judgment from a jury that included more than $1.2 million in attorney fees was not entitled to another fee award based on Georgia’s offer of judgment statute. 

Lawyers for plaintiff Joao Junior had argued that the law—which allows a plaintiff to recover his fees and expenses if a defendant rejects a settlement demand then loses in court by a sum 125% or more than the spurned offer—was “clear and unambiguous” that the fees must be added.