BLANDING, Utah (AP) — A Utah county paid high fees to an out-of-state law firm to sue the federal government in a case involving a canyon right of way.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported Monday that JW Howard Attorneys billed San Juan County more than $360,000 from 2016 to 2018 to sue the federal government.
Officials were attempting to prove the county had title to a right of way extending about 3 miles through Recapture Canyon near Blanding.
Records show taxpayers paid for some of the firm's San Diego-based attorneys to travel using first-class airline tickets and conduct work at a rate of $500 per hour.
Records indicate payments continued after a May 2018 consolidation with a similar case brought by the Utah attorney general's office and funded by the state.
