A Massachusetts judge declined to award the requested $675,000 in fees last week to the prevailing attorneys behind a $1.49 million jury verdict in part because the plaintiff rejected a pre-trial settlement last year that offered nearly double.
In November, a jury for Suffolk Superior Court awarded the plaintiff, Amy Tishelman, $1.49 million in back pay, front pay, and emotional distress damages against her former employer, Boston Children’s Hospital. The jury sided with Tishelman on a claim of retaliation but sided with the employer for the age and gender discrimination claims. After the verdict, Tishelman’s attorneys with the boutique Boston-based firm, Hartley Michon Robb Hannon and other counsel, sought $674,422 in fees and costs—accounting for the day the complaint was filed in October 2022 until the conclusion of trial. The defendants, represented by Seyfarth Shaw, argued the attorney fees should be limited to when it initially presented Tishelman a $3.2-million settlement in March 2024.