By Joshua Resnek
The mayor has given the Boston law firm of Mintz Levin approximately $400,000 since 2015 to litigate the Exelon tax deal, the Leader Herald has learned in response to a FOIA filed with the city two weeks ago which was answered Monday.
The Freedom of Information Act provides for otherwise unpublished information held in confidence by the city to see the light of day.
City Solicitor Colleen Mejia noted that the services rendered by attorney are exempt under MGL. C. 30B, so there is no written contract between the city and the law firm.
The purchase orders signed and paid by the city’s Purchasing Department represent an agreement between the parties, according to the city solicitor.
The vast majority of the money going to the law firm began flowing just about this time last year, on Feb. 8, 2017, when an invoice was paid by the city to the law firm for $25,404.50, according to records provided by the city to the Herald Leader.
In subsequent months, and sometimes skipping a month, the following are the amounts that came out of the City Treasury for services rendered by the law firm.
Two months legal fees totaled $69,842.00 in 2015.
The breakdown for the payments reveals $19,842 paid to the law firm 8/10/2015 and a second payment of $50,000 on 9/29/2015.
All the other payments made for the Exelon litigation were paid in 2017.
They are: $54,445.55 paid on 3/07/2017; $56,711.69 paid on 6/22/2017; $41,588.18 paid on 9/12/2017; $30,211.92 on 9/12/2017; $57,325.07 paid on 11/9/2017; $39,432.63 paid on 11/15/2017 and $25,159.74 on 11/15/2017.
City Solicitor Mejia did not return a call from the Leader Herald Monday in which we sought an explanation of the fees or how high the city would allow the fees to go and whether or not there are any conditions shared by the mayor and the law firm that have not been made public.