Lawyer Seeks $735,000 In Fees In Slain Stripper Case
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A Bloomfield Township attorney is billing the city of Detroit for work he did on behalf of the family of a murdered exotic dancer.
WWJ's Rob Sanford reports Norman Yatooma wants more than $735,000 in legal fees and expenses from Detroit and its former chief lawyer. Yatooma filed the request Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
The request comes after a federal judge ordered the city and John Johnson to pay Yatooma's fees after concluding the city destroyed emails.
Yatooma said emails exchanged during Kwame Kilpatrick's time as mayor could link the ex-mayor, police officials and others to impeding an investigation into the 2003 shooting death of Tamara Greene, who was rumored to have danced at a never-proven 2002 party at the Manoogian Mansion.
Yatooma claimed five lawyers and a legal assistant spent 2,000 hours looking for e-mails for then Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. It was later learned the mailings were destroyed, although the reason remains a mystery.
In the filing with the court, Yatooma said he based the request on his hourly fee of $500. City officials have not commented on the request.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
