Motorola to pay over $23 Million to lawyer in case they lost

Motorola Hit with US$23 Million Legal Fees

A Florida judge has ruled that Motorola must pay nearly US$23 million in legal fees to lawyers who "lost" a lawsuit against the company. Judge Leroy Moe granted US$20 million in fees and US$2.9 million in costs. SPS Technologies had tried to sue Motorola for US$10 billion after it claimed that the company had stolen its technology and abandoned a motoring system which would have linked GPS with roadside assistance.

The Judge imposed the charges after the trial collapsed when Motorola apparently let a witness read trial transcripts, in violation of the Judge's order.

Motorola's violation "goes right to the heart of the civil justice system and it certainly has to be addressed," Judge Moe said last Thursday.

Celebrity lawyer, Willie Gary had asked for US$11,000 an hour, or $24.5 million for his work - and was seeking punative payments which could have doubled his payment to over US$90 million. The Judge did not specify the hourly rate he was awarding, but if the award is split as expected with two-thirds going to Willie Gary, then he would have been on a rate of around US$6,000 per hour.

"I feel the judge sent a message to corporate America and to Motorola that you can't cheat and get away with it," Gary said after the ruling.

Gary has previously won over 150 multi million dollar suits, including a $500 million award against a Canadian Funeral Home. Other "victims" include Disney and Anheuser-Busch. He famously owns two private jets, named the Wings of Justice and the Wings of Justice II - the later of which was recently refitted with an 18-carat gold sink and $1.2 million sound system.


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