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Judge OKs Fund lawyers $37K billing for Sept. 2013
U.S. District Court for the NMI designated judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood has approved for payment $37,111.81 in expenses and fees of the NMI Retirement Fund’s former trustee ad litem and two Fund lawyers for September 2013.
In an order on Tuesday, Tydingco-Gatewood approved the request of former trustee ad litem Civille & Tang law firm for payment of $15,292.50 in professional services and $1,452.95 in expenses, for a total of $16,745.45.
The judge also approved Fund counsel Daniel J. Berman’s request for payment of $6,000 in professional fee.
For the Fund’s other counsel, Braddock J. Huesman, Tydingco-Gatewood approved the lawyer’s request for payment of $14,130 in professional services and $236.36 in expenses, for a total of $14,366.36.
Tydingco-Gatewood said she has reviewed the invoices and finds the requests for compensation and reimbursements to be reasonable.
During this period, the judge noted, the trustee ad litem and its attorneys endeavored to wrap up their work and transition the NMI Retirement Fund to the Settlement Fund.
“The court appreciates the professionalism and diligence demonstrated by the trustee ad litem and its team during the appointment term,” the judge said.
The amounts, she added, shall be paid to the former trustee ad litem and its attorneys from the money that was transferred from the Fund’s operations budget into the trustee ad litem’s client trust account.
For August 2013, the judge approved for payment $116,298.76 in expenses and fees of the former trustee ad litem, Berman, and Huesman.
Civille & Tang law firm and its representative, Joseph Razzano, were discharged as trustee ad litem following the Sept. 30, 2013, court approval of the global settlement agreement in Betty Johnson’s class action.
