A federal judge has cut by 70 percent the billable hours Rochester attorneys sought in a Fair Labor Standards Act class action, finding that the matter which was resolved for $225,000 cannot justify attorney fees and expenses of $1.7 million. Western District Judge Michael Telesca (See Profile) said in Mendez v. The Radec Corporation, 03-cv-6342, dragged on for seven years in large part because the plaintiffs demanded substantial attorney fees in any settlement.
Records show that the plaintiffs rejected settlement offers of $400,000 and $600,000, inclusive of attorney fees, and accepted the $225,000 after the fee issue was separated from settlement. Telesca said the case could have been settled much sooner but was prolonged largely because of the dispute over attorney fees, generating substantial legal expenses for both plaintiffs and defendants.
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