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Saturday, August 2, 2014

Galloway Ordered to Pay Over $16,000 in Legal Fees After Losing Lawsuit

Galloway Township has now been ordered to pay over $16,000 in legal fees in a lawsuit the Township lost in June 2013.  The fees are to be paid to Walter Luers, Esq., who is the attorney representing the Plaintiff John Paff.

On Tuesday, June 10, 2014, Superior Court Judge Nelson Johnson issued an order against Galloway Township Clerk TC Kay and the Township and ruled in favor of the Plaintiff John Paff.  

The order was the result of the lawsuit filed in Atlantic County Superior Court on August 19, 2013, alleging the Township refused to provide Paff with "copies of emails logs that they are capable of producing and have produced in the past." 

In June it was calculated the Township spent over $20,000 in legal fees and costs defending the lawsuit.  That amount has since increased well over $20,000. 

In what already been an extraordinary case with unusual dialogue between the Township's attorney, Michael Fitzgerald and the Plaintiff's attorney Walter Luers, the Township has decided to appeal the courts decision which in turn will cost the Township more money in legal fees. 

According to the order issued by Judge Nelson Johnson, the Township will have to pay the legals fees in the amount of $16,023.13, "at the appropriate time and disposition of this litigation".  The Township currently has breathing room as to when the legal fees will be paid since the Township is appealing the decision. 

This case is likely estimated to cost taxpayers over $50,000 in legal fees before completed. The Township may simply reduce those fees by conceding to the Judge's ruling and provide the documents the Judge ordered them to provide. According the depositions in the lawsuit, the Township can no longer produce the email logs due to a new system which makes this case almost moot for future OPRA requests. 

Therefore, this lawsuit can be perceived as nothing more than a feeding frenzy for the attorney's to bill the taxpayers for legal work while the Governing Body in Galloway Township sits back and allows it to happen.

5 comments:

Maria_NJ said...

no wonder our taxes in Galloway keep on going up and up...

Anonymous said...

STOP SPENDING OUR MONEY ON STUPID STUFF LIKE THIS. MAYBE COUNCIL SHOULD PAY FOR THESE LEGAL FEES OUT OF POCKET.

Anonymous said...

Based on the new tax rate, the Township can't cut anymore because they are at bare bones, yet they waste this money like it's turning on the water faucet. Galloway has no clue how to SAVE money, they only know how to spend it!!

Unknown said...

this will never Stop ...

Anonymous said...

It's a shame this town hasn't learned anything from all of the lawsuits they continue to lose. The employee lawsuits were enough to set our taxes back and now a stupid one like this. Thanks galloway officials for not knowing when to say No to Lawsuit. I guess Coppola, Gorman and Tyrell are ready to face the critics in next year's election. Good luck because your names will no longer win it for you.

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