City Council Postpones Paying $13G Legal Bill

An unexpected $13,000 bill to lawfirm Okin, Hollander & DeLuca caused some discussion on Wednesday night.

Okin, Hollander represented the city during bankruptcy negotiations and litigiation when it sold the Hoboken University Medical Center.

The cost of the lawyers — more than $500 an hour — has been a point of discussion before.

"A lot of things are routine and can be handled by your office," Councilman Michael Russo told Corporation Counsel Melissa Longo on Wednesday.

"This was a very complex bankruptcy matter," Longo said.

The $13,000 is an outstanding bill for work that has already been done by the firm.

"Thirteen thousand is not a lot of money in comparison to what they already received, it’s not about the amount of money," said Russo. "Our vendors need to be held to the contracts that they sign ... and that's why I am taking a stand tonight."

Longo said her office sent out letters to law firms currently working for the city to see how much outstanding work will be billed for. She said that it's not a guarantee that Okin, Hollander won't send another bill, "but it's unlikely."

A vote on the measure was postponed until next week. The $13,000 bill will be back on the agenda on Wednesday December 2.