The U.S. Justice Department on Friday announced it is opposing a class action settlement in New Hampshire federal court that grants a $3.8 million legal-fee award to plaintiffs’ lawyers who alleged Dial overstated the ability of its antibacterial soap to kill germs.

The government said in a prepared statement that the fee award “would afford little value to consumers while handsomely compensating attorneys.” The department’s opposition to the class action settlement was filed as a statement of interest by trial attorneys in the consumer protection branch, a component of the civil division. The government argued that the settlement fund of $7.4 million fails to adequately compensate consumers and that the injunctive relief, in the form of changes to the soap’s ingredients, is “virtually worthless.”

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