A lawyer who sued a New Jersey school district on behalf of a special-needs student has been taken to task by a federal judge for “simply inexcusable” conduct in the matter, and in his bid for $160,000 in fees and costs.

A 68-page opinion by U.S. District Judge Renee Bumb of the District of New Jersey upbraids Cherry Hill solo Jamie Epstein for what the judge called a “pattern of overstating his fees and engaging in unprofessional and unreasonable behavior.”