Montana Couple Seeks Legal Fees From City
A Helena, Mont., couple who fought a city ordinance requiring fire-resistant roofs and won in court is seeking more than $37,000 in legal fees from the city.
The Independent Record reports in a story on Saturday that Scott and Megan Svee say the city “zealously attempted to enforce an invalid ordinance.”
The city started legal action when the Svees replaced wood shingles. But a district judge in May ruled the city didn’t have the authority to create building regulations when establishing a citywide wildland-urban interface district.
Scott Svee is an attorney who represented himself and his wife in the case. He stated in court documents he spent 173 hours on the case and three others spent 64 hours, with rates up to $175 per hour.
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