Lawyers for animal rights groups that unsuccessfully sued the producer of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus called the producer’s petition for $25 million in legal fees “ridiculous” and “unconscionable” in court papers this week.
The fee request is one of the largest ever in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to the petition filed in October by circus producer Feld Entertainment Inc. Feld’s lawyers, led by John Simpson of Norton Rose Fulbright, said the money was justified given the length and complexity of the case.
