Mass Tort Qualified Settlement Funds

Choose Milestone to leverage technology and personalized service to streamline distribution for your clients.

Digital mass tort settlement distribution

Integrate an efficient, streamlined disbursement process that provides your mass tort clients with digital payment methods.

With Milestone’s Pathway platform:

  • Tens of thousands of claimants can be paid in minutes
  • Clients may choose from a variety of secure payment method options
  • Attorneys get real-time payment data from a custom dashboard

Save your law firm time and money by utilizing Pathway for mass tort settlement administration.

Speed up mass tort settlement distribution while lowering cost

Milestone's standard of care with mass tort settlements

Precise coordination

of all parties involved in the litigation.

Fiduciary oversight

through the post settlement process.

Organized handling

of the settlement funds and waves of distribution.

Proactive engagement

and communication with attorneys throughout the process.

Confidentiality

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the settlement process with Milestone as mass tort QSF administrator?

Here’s a rundown of the process.

1. Establish the mass tort QSF

Milestone establishes the master qualified settlement fund for your law firm and any additional accounts needed. We will handle all the paperwork, including court filings, tax filings, administration, opening the bank account, purchasing checks, and more.

2. Funding instructions

One of the most important steps in the process is ensuring the correct language is added to the Master Settlement Agreement. This language will release the funds to your QSF. This is typically done through a payee line in the settlement or release agreement. We will provide sample language for you to use in order to ensure funds are paid directly into the QSF. Your law firm will need to provide these instructions to the defendant.

3. Settle cases into the QSF

Utilizing a mass tort QSF with Milestone is the most sophisticated approach to settlement, as it allows for stronger coordination and planning before the funds are constructively received by you and your clients. When you settle cases into your QSF, Milestone acts as an extension of your firm, helping your accounting team organize client data and properly coordinate all aspects of distribution.

4. Distribution

Milestone serves as an entire back office to ensure all claims are paid accurately and promptly. We provide accounting breakdowns of all previous payments to referral, local, dual, and co-counsel attorneys, and we field inquiries regarding additional fee payments and holdbacks. Payments can be made via checks, ACH, wire, or digital disbursement. Throughout the process, our team provides full transparency into account balances and available transaction history.

What are some of the mass tort cases Milestone has worked on?

Milestone has made thousands of settlement disbursements with a total payout reaching billions of dollars. Below is a sample of litigation in which Milestone assisted through qualified settlement fund administration and/or plaintiff settlement planning.

  • AlloDerm
  • Bard IVC Filters
  • Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy
  • Depakote
  • DePuy hips
  • Essure
  • JUUL
  • Mallinckrodt PLC bankruptcy
  • Risperdal
  • Roundup
  • Simply Thick
  • Stryker hips
  • Transvaginal mesh

Why should an attorney select their own mass tort qualified settlement fund administrator?

Law firms do not have to utilize the mass tort QSF administrator that leadership appoints. But why take the extra step? There are several benefits to selecting your own administrator to handle disbursement for your cases:

  • Control: When you select your own QSF administrator, your law firm will have greater control over the administration of the fund. Specifically, Milestone will serve as a partner with you to provide stronger checks and balances during the post-settlement process.
  • Expertise: Distribution of funds in mass tort cases is inherently complex given the large number of claimants. A QSF administrator with specialized experience will properly manage the fund and navigate the legal and regulatory requirements of disbursement. Further, by choosing a company based on their experience and philosophy, you know that the team will distribute the funds correctly and efficiently.
  • Cost savings: By selecting your own QSF administrator, you may also see lower fees and costs than if you were to use the assigned administrator.
  • Reputation: Partnering with a reputable and trustworthy QSF administrator can bolster your firm’s reputation with regard to the post-settlement process.