Philadelphia-based Dilworth Paxson has resorted to litigation to finally settle the fate of nearly $150,000 in escrowed attorney fees in a case that dates back to the mid-1990s.

The firm filed a complaint Wednesday in New Jersey federal court asking to be relieved from its duties as the escrow agent for the fees, which were requested by but never officially awarded to Saul Ewing following an 18-year-old qui tam settlement.