Archive for the Newsletters Category

Bankruptcy Court Strykes $400k from $970k Compensation Request

Posted On April 23rd, 2019 by Legal Fee Advisors

By Zachary Kalmbach. A Louisiana bankruptcy court slashed a near $1 million application for compensation by 41%, finding a severe lack of billing judgment. After Chris Ridgeway filed for bankruptcy, (the “Bankruptcy Matter”), Stryker Corporation was the sole remaining unpaid creditor, stemming from a judgment against Ridgeway in a trade secrets case in Michigan, (the […] Read More...

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Pennsylvania Court of Appeals completely denies $900K fee award for being grossly excessive

Posted On March 26th, 2019 by Legal Fee Advisors

By Kathleen Ramirez. In Clemens v. New York Central Mutual Fire Insurance Company, a recent case in the Court of Appeals, the Court affirmed the Pennsylvania District Court’s decision to deny a fee award. The Court of Appeals ruled that the District Court did not abuse its discretion when it denied an insured’s request for […] Read More...

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Federal Judge Railroads Million Dollar Fee Request

Posted On January 16th, 2019 by Legal Fee Advisors

By Zachary Kalmbach. A plethora of improprieties in a million-dollar fee petition led a federal judge to slash the request in half. Owners of property along a 3-mile railroad right-of-way in Missouri sued the government for compensation under the Takings Clause after the government issued a notice that the property would be used as a […] Read More...

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Judge Sickened by “Outrageously Excessive” Fee Petition, Refuses to Award Any Fees

Posted On January 16th, 2019 by Legal Fee Advisors

By Zachary Kalmbach. A Pennsylvania judge was so offended by the excessiveness of a fee petition that he denied it in full, referred the petitioning attorney for discipline, and suggested that she deserved to be disbarred. The case was a civil rights action that lasted ten years and originally involved many defendants and “a barrage […] Read More...

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Texas Appellate Court Rescues Vigilante from $300,000 in Attorneys’ Fees

Posted On December 4th, 2018 by Legal Fee Advisors

By Zachary Kalmbach. A Texas appellate court was troubled by a trial court’s grossly inadequate consideration of a large fee award, and remanded the case for reconsideration. James McGibney, who is a founder and operator of a number of “vigilante justice” websites, sued Neal Rauhauser alleging a number of defamation torts. The trial court dismissed […] Read More...

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Missouri Court Takes Care of Unhealthy Billing Practices, Reduces Fees by 39%

Posted On November 20th, 2018 by Legal Fee Advisors

By Zachary Kalmbach. A plethora of billing improprieties led a Missouri federal court to cut a fee request by nearly 40%. In the case, the plaintiffs claimed that certain Missouri healthcare statutes were preempted by the Affordable Care Act. The Court granted summary judgment for plaintiffs, after which plaintiffs sought $513,799.57 in attorneys’ fees. A […] Read More...

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No Playing Around: California Court Cuts Fee Request by 37%

Posted On November 6th, 2018 by Legal Fee Advisors

By Zachary Kalmbach. A California federal court has laid out a number of reasons for significantly reducing a request for attorneys’ fees. The case arose from a homeowners’ association’s adoption of a “no sports play” rule, which prohibited children under the age of 14 from being in the complex’s common area without adult supervision, and […] Read More...

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Ruff Decision for California Lawyers—Court Slashes Fees by Nearly 70%

Posted On October 23rd, 2018 by Legal Fee Advisors

By Zachary Kalmbach. In a case that should give future fee petitioners paws, a California appellate court affirmed a massive fee reduction involving holding periods at a dog shelter. Plaintiff’s dog was impounded at a county dog shelter and adopted after the shelter applied a four-business-day holding period. Plaintiff attempted to retrieve the dog, but […] Read More...

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Warning to Attorneys: Don’t Block Bill! Mississippi Court Slashes $1.2M Fee Request in Half

Posted On September 25th, 2018 by Legal Fee Advisors

By Zachary Kalmbach. A federal court in Mississippi slashed a fee request in half because of improper billing practices such as block billing. This fee dispute stems from a years-long, “extremely contentious litigation” between KLLM Transport Services (“KLLM”) and JBS Carriers (“JBS”). KLLM alleged that JBS tortuously interfered with KLLM’s trucking contract with a chicken […] Read More...

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In Massive Fee Clash, Billing Blunders Cost Attorneys $1.8 Million in Fee Reductions

Posted On September 11th, 2018 by Legal Fee Advisors

By Zachary Kalmbach. A federal court in Nebraska made substantial reductions to a fee request to account for a plethora of billing errors. Defendants, Werner Enterprises and Drivers Management, operated a student driver program for new truck drivers. Plaintiffs filed a class action seeking compensation for unpaid wages allegedly earned during off-duty time spent on […] Read More...

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