Post by Anja on Jun 23, 2006 18:12:35 GMT -5
County to pay Briggs' defense team $88K
A judge has ordered Bradford County to pay $88,331.74 in fees and expenses
to the defense attorneys in the Dustin Briggs murder case, which the
county had previously said it should not have to pay.
In May, Bradford County Commissioner Nancy Schrader had said the county
should not have to pay those expenses, for which the attorneys had billed
the county, because they exceeded a $75,000 court-ordered cap on personal
compensation to the defense attorneys in the case.
At the time, Schrader had said that, because the cap had been exceeded,
the county would not pay any additional fees to the defense attorneys
until ordered to do so by a court.
On June 15, Judge Barry Feudale, who is the presiding judge in the Dustin
Briggs case, ordered the county to pay $88,311.74 in fees and expenses to
Briggs' defense attorneys, George Lepley and Craig Miller, Schrader said.
Schrader acknowledged that the judge had the right to lift the cap, which
he did in his June 15 order.
There was also some good news for the county in the judge's decision,
because the judge denied some additional requests for payments from the
county that were associated with the Briggs' case.
Specifically, the judge ordered the county not to pay $25,418.75 in bills
that had been submitted by gun expert Fred Wentling, Schrader said.
Wentling, who had testified in Briggs' trial, had submitted bills to the
county that were "much too excessive," Schrader said.
The judge also ordered the county to pay only $2,500 to death penalty
mitigation expert Stephanie Jirard, instead of the $7,720 that she had
billed the county.
And the judge denied a request for compensation to a paralegal, Janie
Schmouder, who was working for Lepley, Schrader said. The county does not
have to pay for Schmouder's services, which appear "cost-prohibitive,
duplicative and redundant," the judge's order states. However, the order
states that a modified request for payment could be submitted to the
county on behalf of Schmouder.
The county will not contest Judge Feudale's' June 15 order, Schrader said.
Efforts to reach Lepley for comment on Thursday were unsuccessful.
Briggs, 29, of Gillett is currently in state custody after being sentenced
to death March 16 for the March 31, 2004, shooting deaths of county
Sheriff's Deputies Christopher Burgert, 30, of Sayre and Michael VanKuren,
36, of Warren Center in a Wells Township junkyard.
(source: The Daily Review)
A judge has ordered Bradford County to pay $88,331.74 in fees and expenses
to the defense attorneys in the Dustin Briggs murder case, which the
county had previously said it should not have to pay.
In May, Bradford County Commissioner Nancy Schrader had said the county
should not have to pay those expenses, for which the attorneys had billed
the county, because they exceeded a $75,000 court-ordered cap on personal
compensation to the defense attorneys in the case.
At the time, Schrader had said that, because the cap had been exceeded,
the county would not pay any additional fees to the defense attorneys
until ordered to do so by a court.
On June 15, Judge Barry Feudale, who is the presiding judge in the Dustin
Briggs case, ordered the county to pay $88,311.74 in fees and expenses to
Briggs' defense attorneys, George Lepley and Craig Miller, Schrader said.
Schrader acknowledged that the judge had the right to lift the cap, which
he did in his June 15 order.
There was also some good news for the county in the judge's decision,
because the judge denied some additional requests for payments from the
county that were associated with the Briggs' case.
Specifically, the judge ordered the county not to pay $25,418.75 in bills
that had been submitted by gun expert Fred Wentling, Schrader said.
Wentling, who had testified in Briggs' trial, had submitted bills to the
county that were "much too excessive," Schrader said.
The judge also ordered the county to pay only $2,500 to death penalty
mitigation expert Stephanie Jirard, instead of the $7,720 that she had
billed the county.
And the judge denied a request for compensation to a paralegal, Janie
Schmouder, who was working for Lepley, Schrader said. The county does not
have to pay for Schmouder's services, which appear "cost-prohibitive,
duplicative and redundant," the judge's order states. However, the order
states that a modified request for payment could be submitted to the
county on behalf of Schmouder.
The county will not contest Judge Feudale's' June 15 order, Schrader said.
Efforts to reach Lepley for comment on Thursday were unsuccessful.
Briggs, 29, of Gillett is currently in state custody after being sentenced
to death March 16 for the March 31, 2004, shooting deaths of county
Sheriff's Deputies Christopher Burgert, 30, of Sayre and Michael VanKuren,
36, of Warren Center in a Wells Township junkyard.
(source: The Daily Review)