A bankruptcy judge has substantially reduced the fees sought by a debtor’s lawyer in a Chapter 13 case the judge said progressed "with few, if any, unexpected hurdles." Judge Diane Davis (See Profile) said the request by attorney L. David Zube for $9,652 under an hourly billing schedule was "impermissibly generous" and would set "bad precedent" within the Utica region of the Northern District Bankruptcy Court.
Based on similar Chapter 13 cases handled in the district by other attorneys with experience rivaling Zube’s 39 years, Davis reduced the Binghamton lawyer’s fee, in In re Schuman, 12-60675, to $5,200. The judge did so after calling the attorney’s explanations for some billings "vague and difficult to decipher" and finding few complications in a bankruptcy action where the debtor held an Oneonta farm and a moving business. "On its face, a review of the docket shows that Debtor’s case followed a standardized and routine course to plan confirmation under chapter 13 of the Code," Davis wrote.
