Records filed with the Summit County Probate Court about the Jayland Walker family’s federal lawsuit against the City of Akron detail that nearly half of the $4.85 million settlement reached in the case will go toward fees and expenses incurred by the DiCello Levitt law firm.
The remaining $2.58 million – representing 53% of the total — will be split equally between Walker’s sister, Jada, and his mother, Pamela. The DiCello Levitt firm was working on the case on behalf of the family.
The breakdown of how that money will be distributed was not released by either side and it is not included within the federal case file. But, because the Walker lawsuit was a wrongful death lawsuit, settlement details are filed with and approved by the probate court — those records become public.
Walker was shot dozens of times by Akron police officers and killed after a car chase and brief foot pursuit in 2022. Police fired a total of 94 rounds.
The City of Akron and DiCello Levitt announced last month that the city had agreed to settle the family’s high-profile federal lawsuit over the 2022 killing.
According to the contract signed by the Walkers before the lawsuit was filed in 2023, DiCello Levitt is entitled to a 40% contingency fee from the proceeds of the settlement, which earned them $1.94 million for their work.
Contingency fees allow people to seek justice in civil courts without having to pay for attorneys up front – whether and how lawyers get paid is “contingent” on securing a successful outcome.
An attorney who litigates federal civil rights lawsuits, unconnected to the Walker lawsuit, said 33.3% is a typical contingency fee for civil lawsuits, while a review of publicly available terms online indicate 33.3% to 40% is common.
Expenses take up $330,000 of the settlement
In addition to the $1.94 million in attorneys’ fees, probate court records indicate that DiCello Levitt is taking an additional $330,000 from the settlement as a reimbursement for what it paid to outside entities to bolster its case against the city.
Expenses for the lawsuit ranged from a $1.26 purchase at a post office to more than $65,000 spent on a New York City-based “growth advisory firm.”
Below are the five largest reimbursements, according to the settlement memorandum filed with the court. DiCello Levitt did not respond to a request for comment about its expenses in the Walker case.
Baretz+Brunelle: $65,811.52
The New York City-based company describes itself as a “growth advisory firm to the world’s preeminent businesses in the legal industry.” The company did not respond to a request for comment about what it did for this lawsuit, but its services include “strategic communications, crisis management, and marketing,” among others.
Oliver Investigations: $62,060
Oliver Investigations is the Hartville-based private investigation company of David Oliver, the controversial former chief of the Brimfield Township Police Department. Oliver gained a large Facebook following and a book deal more than a decade ago for his “folksy and feisty” writings on the “mopes” he came across in his line of work.
Oliver is no longer able to serve as a police officer. His tenure as Brimfield police chief ended in 2015 after allegations of mistreating a female officer in his department surfaced. He was convicted in 2016 of assault, unlawful restraint, attempted theft in office and unauthorized use of property in Portage County.
Oliver’s website states the firm investigates police shootings, acting “as independent investigators for both municipalities and plaintiffs in civil actions.”
ICM Municipal Consulting, Inc.: $49,481.29
ICM Municipal Consulting doesn’t have publicly available contact information, an internet presence or an accessible description of what the company does. In 2021 filings with the Ohio Secretary of State establishing the for-profit corporation in Cuyahoga County, it states, “The purpose of this entity is for any legal purpose.”
The company is connected to two family members of a Dicello Levitt attorney who worked on the Walker case.
Atlas Strategy Group: $32,140
Atlas Strategy Group is a Bronx-based firm that “provides tactical guidance to forward-thinking executives and organizations who champion equity and pursue transformational impact… From social justice organizing tips and media training to helping you calculate the educational and economic development impact of your initiatives, ATLAS creates strategic, metrics-focused implementation plans.”
The company did not respond to a request for comment about what it did for the Walker litigation.
3D Forensic, Inc: $24,446.25
San Francisco-based 3D Forensic “is a forensic technology firm offering forensic analysis, expert witness testimony and courtroom animation. We work with all legal teams to capture pertinent data, provide unbiased analysis, and visualize the facts.”
Spokesperson Sean Daly told Signal Akron that the company creates three-dimensional scene reconstructions using LiDAR technology. Daly said employees came to Akron to scan and map the area where Walker was killed and then merged that with officers’ body-worn camera footage to chart everybody’s point of view and the trajectory of bullets.
