United States First Circuit
US v. Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc., 09-2684
In proceedings arising out of a government investigation in six judicial districts into allegations that a shipping company had for years engaged in the practice of discharging oil from its vessels in American waters and falsifying mandatory ship records to conceal the discharges, in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, a district court's decision limiting an attorney's legal fees under two contingent fee agreements while representing two whistleblowers is affirmed in part and reversed in part where: 1) the district court did not err in finding the attorney's contractual fee amounts with respect to both clients to be excessive; but 2) the district court abused its discretion in disallowing any fee from the representation of the second client, and as such, the attorney should receive a fee of $25,000 for each client.
Appellate Information
- Decided 10/18/2010
- Published 10/20/2010
Judges
Court
- United States First Circuit
Counsel
- For Appellant:
- Zack Hawthorn, Jonathan F. Mitchell