The Chronicle is reporting that Lloyd Kelley is requesting $4.4 million for his legal fees from representing the Ibarra Brothers in their lawsuit.
I think the county should consider three questions before paying Lloyd anything more:
1. Is it fair for you to be getting almost three times what your clients had to split between the two of them?
2. Did you bill your fees for all your press conferences calling for Chuck Rosenthal and Tommy Thomas' ouster?
AND
3. Shouldn't these bills really be paid by Clarence Bradford's campaign fund?
7 comments:
You think it's up to the county?
No, I think the county should be asking those questions. But technically, they could just agree to pay some amount.
I think Kelley's request for $2.2 million is not out of line for the settlement that his clients received. As the article reports, HC fought him tooth and nail on a case that was ultimately indefensible. Stafford's remarks about no one winning on the merits and the "substantial sum" offered at mediation ($350,000 could be considered a substantial sum in many cases, but not in this one) sound specious to me. You can deny liability until the cows come home, but when you're writing a check for $1.7 million, it's pretty clear who won and who lost.
I also think a federal judge won't balk at a fee petition that exceeds the damages recovered by the plaintiffs.
The multiplier seems a bit more iffy to me.
On one hand he deserves it because Harris County really did give him a hard time.
He's just such a goofball.
What's that old phrase about a blind squirrel finding an acorn now and then.
Kelly is a scumbag. Remember when he said that a simple letter of apology would have made it all go away? Perhaps we should send him one of those.
Well, a timely letter of apology might have saved Harris County citizens a lot of money. But the barn's empty now.
Looking in the rear view mirror, you're right Michael, but Ron is right Kelley is a goofball that I sure hate to see get rich over this. You're also right about Hoyt. He is notorious about screwing the taxpayer. Outside the course and scope ought to make them personally liable, because these cops certainly were. I know it doesn't work that way though. Unfortunately a county as large as Harris figures lawsuits into the budget I guess.
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