MiraCosta College Trustee Questions Basis for Fee Request Given Attorney’s Client’s Position in the Lawsuit.
As reported by Paul Sisson in an October 13, 2010 post in The North County (San Diego) Times, an attorney who successfully challenged on behalf of Carlsbad resident Leon Page a $1.6 million settlement between MiraCosta College and its former president is now seeking $423,205 in attorney’s fees from the college (requesting a 30% multiplier to the $325,543 lodestar).
The motion will be heard in January 2010 by San Diego County Superior Court Judge William S. Dato. Greg Post, a MiraCosta trustee up for re-election this November, questioned why plaintiff would ask for legal reimbursement given Mr. Page’s apparent statements that the lawsuit was meant to protect the college and taxpayers from a raid on public funds. Plaintiff’s attorney requesting reimbursement sees it differently, believing that the successful challenge will make 7,000 California public agencies think twice before granting golden parachutes to past presidents in excess of 18 months of salary and health benefits. Mr. Page also sees it differently, quoted as saying that it was naive for Mr. Post to believe that he should have to pay his lawyer to make the college follow the law.