In cannabis records fight, DOJ pays law firm Davis Wright $150K in fees

An undated handout picture shows cannabis immediately after the Royal Canadian Mounted Law enforcement (RCMP) stated on September 9, 2020 it experienced arrested 4 gentlemen who used a small-flying helicopter to stay away from detection of the illegal transportation of cannabis from Canada into the U.S. RCMP/Handout through REUTERS

(Reuters) – The U.S. government has agreed to spend $150,000 in lawful charges to Davis Wright Tremaine in a settlement closing a federal community data lawsuit that the law business submitted to get cannabis plan data for the U.S.-Canada border.

Reuters attained a copy of the settlement from Davis Wright following U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez in the Western District of Washington last week issued an buy closing the situation at the parties’ request.

The Seattle-centered regulation firm in March 2019 sued U.S. Customs and Border Defense (CBP) for policy information relating to entry bans on overseas nationals at the U.S.-Canada border who ended up associated with Canada’s authorized cannabis businesses.

The regulation agency claimed it sued for data “to defend our consumers from over-aggressive and possibly illegal enforcement actions, and correctly recommend them on crossing the U.S.-Canada border.”

CBP generated data immediately after a few yrs of litigation together with what the law agency explained as an inner U.S. governing administration facts information regarding “Legalization of Cannabis in Canada.”

Davis Wright attorney Caesar Kalinowski mentioned he hoped the final result would “prevent CBP and other companies from refusing to react in the foreseeable future.”

A spokesperson for the Seattle U.S. attorney’s office environment declined to remark on the case.

Lawful charges in federal community information conditions a lot more routinely are down below $100,000, according to Justice Department info exhibiting charges and expenses in conclusions past yr in U.S. general public documents lawsuits.

Of the about 50 orders involving fees last 12 months, only three had been above $100,000. Fees among $5,000 and $25,000 ended up far more typical.

Davis Wright achieved a settlement around its charges, but in some circumstances hourly prices are contested and judges are known as on to weigh the reasonableness of a law firm’s need.

In one circumstance past yr, U.S. District Choose James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., awarded regulation company Ballard Spahr about $122,000 in a documents lawsuit introduced on behalf of The Washington Write-up.

The business had sought a lot more than $154,000 in fees in the situation. The lawsuit correctly sought info from U.S. regulators about the pandemic-period relief evaluate Paycheck Defense Program.

The scenario is Davis Wright Tremaine v. U.S. Customs & Border Security, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, No. 2:19-cv-334.

For plaintiff: Bruce Johnson and Caesar Kalinowski of Davis Wright Tremaine

For CBP: Assistant U.S. Lawyer Michelle Lambert

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Our Criteria: The Thomson Reuters Trust Concepts.