Whoever said justice is cheap- never investigated a presidential campaign’s alleged collusion with a foreign government- and probably never has sued a major cruise line on behalf of an injured passenger.
While I have never done the kind of work Mr. Mueller and his team are doing for the Justice Department’s investigation into President Trump’s campaign, I am astonished to see that they have spent from May through September--nearly $7 million dollars. The money has gone to pay prosecutors and investigators salaries, travel expenses, and transcripts. By comparison, Kenneth Starr spent more than $50 million investigating President Clinton in just four years- leading to Mr. Clinton’s impeachment by the House.
Under Federal law, special counsels have to produce an expense report every six months. The recently released Mueller report shows that he spent $1.7 million on the salaries of 17 lawyers and other personnel, $362,000 for rent and utilities, $733,000 for equipment, $223,000 for travel and $157,000 for contract services, including transcription services. That is a lot of deposition transcripts.
And here are the results so far: Mr. Mueller has brought criminal charges against four of Mr. Trump’s top associates, Paul Manafort; Rick Gate; and George Papadopoulos and Michael T. Flynn who have both plead guilty to having lied to the FBI.
CIVIL LITIGATION EXPENSES - HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO SUE A CRUISE LINE?
People, including my own clients- often think that whatever money they get in their personal injury case which is commonly shared with their lawyers who work on a contingency fee basis- mistakenly believe that the attorney’s fees and costs go right into their lawyer’s own pocket- forgetting the administrative and investigative costs associated with protracted litigation.
By contrast, suing a major cruise line, such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, MSC, Norwegian, Princess of Holland America on behalf of an injured passenger is not cheap either. The filing fees alone in federal court in Miami, where most cruise lines are required to be sued is $400. Then the case has to be served upon the designated representative of the cruise line by a process server, $75.00. Once the case is filed and served- lawyers and paralegals have to obtain medical records and bills, x-rays and MRIs, which can often cost thousands of dollars.
To prove liability or fault in most cruise ship accident cases- a ship inspection performed by an engineer or architect is required. This can cost another $5,000-$10,000 plus travel expenses depending where in the world the ship is located. This year alone, we have performed ship inspections in Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, Puerto Rico and from New York to Key West.
Deposition transcripts and exhibits, photocopying, and simply parking at the courthouse for hearing after hearing in advance of trial can cost thousands of dollars. Then if the case does not settle, the injured passenger is required to travel to Miami for their depositions, medical examinations, mediation, and a jury trial. Travel and housing expenses can cost a typical claimant another several thousand dollars or more for a long trial. And of course there is no guarantee that the costs end there. An appeal, win or lose-- can cost tens of thousands of dollars more.
Whether you are investigating a presidential campaign or simply representing a person who got hurt while on a cruise, there never seems to be an end or limit as to how expensive justice really can be.