Gawker Media Group Inc. hasn’t gone quietly into bankruptcy after it was hit in March with a $140 million verdict over the publication of a video that showed professional wrestler Hulk Hogan having sex. Gawker’s restructuring lawyers at Ropes & Gray made some noise of their own Monday, detailing billing rates of up to $1,450 per hour in the company’s Chapter 11 case.
Ropes & Gray, led by restructuring partner Gregg Galardi, laid out the rates in a formal application to serve as lead debtor’s counsel for the proceedings in U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan, where Gawker sought protection from creditors on June 10. Partners handling the Gawker bankruptcy plan to charge hourly rates of $880 to $1,450, while the rates for Ropes & Gray’s of counsel lawyers would range from $605 to $1,425 per hour, according to a court filing by the firm. Ropes & Gray also put its hourly billing rates for associates at between $460 and $1,050.
