Businesses that sued Wolf over shutdown orders now seek more than $135K in legal fees
The business owners who filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Tom Wolf over his covid-19 shutdown orders are asking the court to award them attorney fees.
In a motion filed Monday before U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV, the plaintiffs ask for $135,790 in attorneys fees and costs.
That amount, according to the filing, represents 776 hours of work between May 2 and Sept. 14, with attorneys earning $175 per hour and paralegals earning $100 per hour.
The plaintiffs argue in a brief on the issue that they are entitled to the fees because they prevailed in the case, and both the hours worked and the rates set are reasonable.
On Sept. 14, Stickman ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, which included seven businesses in Butler and Washington counties, finding that Wolf’s orders restricting the size of gatherings and closing nonessential businesses were unconstitutional.
The governor filed a motion to stay the order, but Stickman denied it.
Wolf then appealed to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and, again, the governor filed a motion to stay.
The plaintiffs have until 5 p.m. Wednesday to file their response.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2020 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of "Death by Cyanide." She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.
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