MOORPARK : Lawyer Sues City for Fees in School Case
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The Los Angeles attorney who represented the Moorpark Unified School District in its recent legal battle with the city over an 8-acre parcel of land has filed a lawsuit against the city asking for more than $50,000 in fees.
Attorney Robert M. Mason III filed a motion in the Ventura County Superior Court last week claiming that the city should pay him for helping the school district to win a state Supreme Court victory against the city last month.
Melodie M. Kleiman, chief assistant counsel for Ventura County, said it is not unusual for private attorneys who win a court victory against a public agency to later sue the agency for legal fees. But attorneys who have won such suits have usually represented welfare recipients or other individuals who could not pay legal costs, Kleiman said.
City and school district officials said they were surprised by the suit because they thought Mason had represented the school district pro bono.
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