Opinion ID: 1925938
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The $110,000 fee overcharge verdict.

Text: As noted, respondent acted as Township Attorney for Dover between January 1971 and February 1974. The total amount billed during this period was $328,732. In November of 1975, the Township sued respondent to recover for overcharges: in May 1978, it recovered a civil judgment against respondent for $110,000. The ethics complaint asserted that $45,000 of this $110,000 verdict represented a jury finding of fraud that was conclusively binding in the disciplinary proceedings. Specifically, the respondent had been charged at trial with double-billing; overcharging; charging for unnecessary services, such as review of Board minutes; charging for services of non-lawyers; and failing to give credit for retainers and other payments on account. A subsidiary issue to these allegations was the so-called bond issue. The complaint charged that in connection with a bond issue for a new Municipal Court and Police Center Building, respondent had duplicated the services of New York bond counsel by retyping, and charging for, work done by that firm.