Lawyer in failed lawsuit granted $167K by judge

DETROIT (AP) -- A judge has awarded $167,000 to an attorney for part of his work on a lawsuit that accused a former Detroit mayor of sandbagging a murder investigation.

The lawsuit was thrown out on Nov. 1, but Norman Yatooma was entitled to some reimbursement by Detroit for trying to get emails from the city. A magistrate judge said emails were intentionally destroyed.

Yatooma represented the family of Tamara Greene, a stripper who was fatally shot in 2003. Yatooma claimed then-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick obstructed the murder investigation because Greene had danced at a party at the mayoral mansion. Kilpatrick denied the allegations, including the party.

The civil case was dismissed. But U.S. District Court Judge Gerald Rosen says Yatooma is entitled to legal fees related to the email flap. He wanted $735,000.

Published: Tue, Dec 13, 2011