Congratulations to Hugh Keefe and Donn Swift on their recent victory.

ROBERT MURTHA V. THE CITY OF HARTFORD

Our partner, Hugh Keefe, has represented Mr. Robert Murtha in a continuing saga with his battle against the City of Hartford where he was employed as a police officer. The story began with the arrest of Mr. Murtha for acts that were in the course of his duties as a Hartford police officer. Hugh proceeded to trial in regard to the charges in the Hartford Superior Court and after a lengthy trial the jury completely exonerated Mr. Murtha of each and every charge. Attorney Michael Georgetti assisted in the case.

At the conclusion of the case, Hugh submitted his attorney's fees and costs along with those of Attorney Georgetti to the City under a Connecticut law which requires a municipality such as the City of Hartford to fully reimburse a police officer for all his expenses in a case once he is exonerated. After the City refused to pay the invoice, Hugh, along with Donn Swift, brought suit in the New Haven Superior Court to not only recover all of the attorney's fees and costs but to obtain reimbursement for Mr. Murtha for his lost wages and loss of employment benefits resulting from the case.

After a very lengthy mediation before the Honorable Frederick Freedman in the Norwalk Superior Court, the parties reached a tentative agreement that needed approval from the Hartford City Counsel. Against the advice of their attorney, the City Counsel refused to accept the settlement. As a result, the case proceeded to trial in the New Haven Superior Court before the Honorable Thomas Corradino.

Hugh and Donn presented a very strong and compelling case on behalf of Mr. Murtha. The City continued to argue that they were not responsible for the damages. After hearing all of the evidence and considering the legal issues, Judge Corradino ruled completely in favor of Mr. Murtha on all issues. In his rather lengthy decision, the judge made the following comments:

1) "These are obviously attorneys of the highest skill, experience and reputation."

2) All of the fees were reasonable and the time spent on the file and the hourly rate charge were all reasonable as confirmed by the expert retained on behalf of Mr. Murtha for both attorneys.

3) The underlying criminal case was a very high profile difficult and complicated matter.

4) The attorneys had properly documented all of their work spent on the file and itemized invoices.

5) The two lawyers in the criminal case worked together as a team and achieved the successful result for Mr. Murtha.

6) The defendant City in the civil case did not present any expert testimony to contradict the reasonableness and necessity of the legal fees incurred.

7) Mr. Murtha was entitled to reimbursement for his lost time and loss of benefits for the period of time from the date of his arrest until the date that the City improperly decided to terminate him from his employment.

The final decision of Judge Corradino resulted in a total judgment on behalf of Mr. Murtha in the amount of $562,277.50. This is believed to be the largest judgment ever obtained under the statute involved which protects police officers throughout the State when they are unjustly accused.

After everything that has occurred, the City has still not recognized its obligation to Mr. Murtha and as a result, they have filed an appeal of the case. Hugh and Donn expect a complete victory in the end.