Attorney Fees in Venice Sunshine Case Nears $3 Million
From Sunshine Review
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June 27, 2009
Venice, Florida--Sarasota resident, Anthony Lorenzo recently won a lawsuit against the city of Venice for violating the Florida Sunshine Law. The suit revolved around whether city officials were violating the public records law by discussing city business in private e-mail accounts. The suit ended when the judge ordered officials to surrender private computers to retrieve public documents.[1]
Venice has since adopted a policy requiring officials to use city e-mail accounts for official communication, and that all board members go through training on the Sunshine Law.
[edit] Lorezno bills city for lawsuit
The City of Venice, has paid nearly $600,000 in legal fees for violating the Sunshine Law and Public Records Act. It is now being billed for an additional claim for $2.2 million in legal fees from the Plaintiffs' attorneys in the landmark case.[1]
Lorenzo submitted the bill to Circuit Judge Robert Bennett. If Bennett decides after a September hearing that the fees are reasonable then it will bring the bill upto a landmark $3 million dollars.[1]
