A recent Law 360 story by Mike LaSusa, “AIG Unit Nabs $212K in Atty Fees After Coverage Row” reports that AIG unit National Union can collect nearly $212,000 in attorney fees after fending off a medical services company's coverage claims stemming from a pair of employee harassment complaints, with a Florida federal judge shooting down several objections to the final fee figure.  U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton Jr. accepted a magistrate judge's recommendation to order TMH Medical Services LLC to pay $211,720.50 in attorney fees to National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa. — a slight reduction from National Union's request for $223,143.50 in fees.

Judge Dalton swept aside TMH's argument that National Union couldn't collect fees for litigation that happened after July 17, 2019, when the judge issued an order saying National Union would be entitled to attorney fees while leaving the amount undetermined.  TMH had argued that Florida law doesn't allow litigants to collect attorney fees racked up while fighting over the amount of attorney fees owed.  But Judge Dalton said his order last year didn't specify an amount and didn't end the battle over whether National Union was entitled to fees.

Judge Dalton noted that TMH had asked the court to reconsider its decision.  The judge rejected that request on March 20, meaning that date — not July 2019 — marked the end of litigation over entitlement to fees and start of the litigation over the final amount, he said.  The judge also wasn't convinced by TMH's arguments that the rates offered by National Union were unreasonable.  He said the rates of $285 per hour for of counsel and $355 for partners seemed reasonable, citing similar cases in which attorneys were paid as much as $550 per hour.