Hack v. Gilbert & Marlowe
Jayne Hack got a bargain from the law firm of Gilbert & Marlowe in her divorce case. The deal was the law firm would only charge her $150 per hour. In return, however, she had to pay her bills on time and cooperate in any attempt to obtain attorney fees from the opposing side. If not, she would have to pay fees of $350 an hour.
Then came Gilbert & Marlowe’s final bill, for about $2,600. Up to then, Hack’s boyfriend had been paying the bills. He, however, had passed away about two months before the final bill. Now that Hack was going to pay the bill herself, she looked up her records and concluded Gilbert & Marlowe had overcharged her by billing 58.52 hours for the preparation of 44 subpoenas at 1.33 hours each. She balked at paying the final bill. Gilbert & Marlowe rebilled her for their services at $350 an hour. The difference amounted to just over $178,000. Hack didn’t pay the new, enlarged bill either, and the dispute escalated into this action – Hack suing first for overbilling and Gilbert & Marlowe cross-complaining for unpaid fees. At the end of the day Gilbert & Marlowe did not obtain the extra $178,000 they claimed. In fact, they now owed Hack, net, another $400.
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