A pro se plaintiff’s claim for excessive legal fees against three lawyers at a Manhattan law firm who allegedly charged the woman $25,000 to produce a draft complaint, to offset debts owed by other clients, will go forward, a state appeals court has ruled.
In a lawsuit that alleges fee churning, redundant charges and a failure to provide requested billing statements against the three lawyers making up the firm Joshua L. Dratel, P.C., an Appellate Division, First Department panel ruled on Thursday that plaintiff Debra Cascardo’s fees claim was “correctly sustained,” meaning not dismissed, by the lower court.
