Thomas MacMillan File Photo
As the lovefest between city government and Occupy New Haven devolved into a dusty legal standoff, taxpayers ended up ponying up $65,280.61 for legal advice.
That’s how much the DeStefano administration ended up paying an outside law firm, Carmody & Torrance, for legal advice between March 15 and April 17, according to invoices released by City Hall Friday afternoon in response to requests from the Independent and the New Haven Register.
Click here to read the documents released Friday.
Unlike most other governments across the country, New Haven welcomed anti-corporate protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement when they set up tents on the Upper Green last October. New Haven’s protesters made it through the winter, lasting six months, longer than any other “Occupy” encampment in New England. As spring approached the city wanted the Upper Green back to allow other citizens more access and to replant grass. Some of the protesters refused to leave; a series of court showdowns that vacillated between Woody Allen-esque banter and law school symposium-style debate; and a contentious eviction and series of arrests ensued (pictured at the top of this story). (Read about all that in this queue of stories.)
Rather than handle the legal questions involved in-house, the city turned to Carmody & Torrance for advice. It paid the three attorneys who worked on the case between $250 and $375 an hour.
The lead attorney was John Horvack (pictured).
“I hired John Horvack because I’ve had experience working with him before. I had a lot of confidence in him as a litigator I also know he had experience addressing First Amendment matters,” said city Corporation Counsel Victor Bolden. “At the end of the day, we prevailed” in court. According to his online bio, Horvack has been “named a Connecticut ‘Super Lawyer’ by Connecticut Magazine, a ‘New England Super Lawyer’ by Law & Politics Magazine and a ‘Local Litigation Star’ by Benchmark Litigation.”
Norm Pattis, the lawyer who represented the Occupy New Haven protesters, agreed that Horvack did a good job representing the city.
“All I know is,” Pattis adding, in reference to the $65,000 tab, “I want to work for Carmody Torrance. I worked my ass off for a lot less than that — about 63,000 times less.”
So, another 65K to this misguided, undirected, unfocused episode, leaving cash strapped and tax hammered New Havener's with the bill. What was accomplished? You tell me, 'cause I don't have a clue. I would love to see a feature or interview with any Proprietors on the outcome of all this. Meanwhile, they've moved on and we pay the bill. Don't feel too bad Norm, New Haven is out money on this too. But I guess that's not really your worry.