Apple has filed an objection to the fees charged by Michael Bromwich, a monitor appointed by the court to oversee its antitrust compliance following the e-books trial, reports Bloomberg.
“Of all known past Apple matters,” no lawyer has had a higher rate than Michael Bromwich’s proposed hourly fee of $1,100, said Apple in a November 27th filing. “Mr. Bromwich appears to be simply taking advantage of the fact that there is no competition here or, in his view, any ability on the part of Apple, the subject of his authority, to push back on his demands.”
Bromwich, who is a former U.S. Justice Department inspector general, is also charging a 15% administrative fee on top of his hourly rate and on the cost of hiring additional lawyers to assist him. Bromwich says the administrative fee is justified because he's handling the assignment through his consultancy, the Bromwich Group, rather than through his law firm, Goodwin Procter LLP.
The total invoice for two weeks of work amounted to $138,432. Apple notes that the fee is about 75% of a federal judge's annual salary and that the administrative surcharge is “unprecedented in Apple’s experience.”
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