Lawyers Disappointed by Hot Coffee Lawsuit Response

Lawyers seeking to claim against Take-Two Interactive over the “Hot Coffee” scandal from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas have described themselves as “shocked” by the lack of the response from consumers claiming to have been offended by the sex scenes. According to settlement details announced in January anyone who can prove they bought the game in the U.S. could receive a cash payment of up to $35, as part of a consumer class action lawsuit. However, only 2,676 claimants have so far come forward. “Am I disappointed? Sure,” quotes the New York Times of Seth R. Lesser, lead lawyer for the plaintiffs. “We can’t guess as to why now, several years later, people care or don’t care. The merits of the case were clear.” Lawyers involved in the case, culled from ten separate law firms, have demanded more than $1.3 million from Take-Two Interactive. The publisher and owner of Rockstar Games has also agreed to make a $860,000 charitable donation to the ESRB. Speaking against the case, the New York Times quotes lawyer and games player Theodore H. Frank, director of the Legal Center for the Public Interest at the American Enterprise Institute. “There are two possibilities,” said Frank. “Possibility one is they have a meritorious lawsuit and they’re selling out the class for attorneys’ fees. The other possibility is that, and frankly I think this is the more likely possibility, they brought a meritless lawsuit that had no business being brought to court at all,” he stated. A judge will review the settlement this week, in an attempt to ensure that the terms are reasonable. If not approved the case could still go to trial.