Case Name: IN RE Attorney Fees of Mitchell T. FOSTER People of the State of Michigan, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. David John Bernard, Defendant, and Mitchell T. Foster, Appellant.
Court: Michigan Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Michigan
Decision Date: 2019-03-20
Citations: 923 N.W.2d 888
Docket Number: SC: 157509; COA: 334309
Parties: IN RE Attorney Fees of Mitchell T. FOSTER
Judges: 
Reporter: North Western Reporter 2d
Volume: 923
Pages: 888–888

Head Matter:
IN RE Attorney Fees of Mitchell T. FOSTER
People of the State of Michigan, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
David John Bernard, Defendant,
and
Mitchell T. Foster, Appellant.
SC: 157509
COA: 334309
Supreme Court of Michigan.
March 20, 2019
Order

Opinion:
On order of the Court, the application for leave to appeal the February 27, 2018 judgment of the Court of Appeals is considered and, pursuant to MCR 7.305(H)(1), in lieu of granting leave to appeal, we REVERSE in part the judgment of the Court of Appeals. The Oakland Circuit Court abused its discretion by denying Foster's request for any extraordinary fees for time spent consulting with defense expert Gerald Gabriel. Although the defendant ultimately pled no contest and it is not clear how beneficial Gabriel's consultation was to the defense, it was outside the range of principled outcomes for the trial court to deny reimbursement altogether for time Foster spent consulting with Gabriel. As dissenting Judge Gleicher observed, "Foster was obligated to review more than 2,000 pages of financial data and the preliminary examination testimony given by the prosecution's expert," a record that is "outside the realm of most criminal prosecutions." And the trial judge granted the defense $ 12,500 specifically for the purpose of Foster being able to consult with Gabriel. We REMAND this case to the Oakland Circuit Court for further proceedings on extraordinary fees in light of this order. In all other respects, leave to appeal is DENIED, because we are not persuaded that the remaining questions presented should be reviewed by this Court.