Westfield pays for a top law firm to defend police officer wage theft case

WESTFIELD – The city has hired one of the nation’s top law firms specializing in employment law to defend itself against a civil lawsuit filed in September by 19 police officers alleging wage theft.

On October 24, five city officials, including Mayor Michael McCabe, signed a contract with Seyfarth Shaw LLP to provide the city with “assistance, professional counsel and legal counsel as may be appropriate with respect to the city’s defense of wage and hour matters and related business and litigation,” according to the city’s contract with the company, which was obtained through a public records request from The Westfield News.

Under the contract, Seyfarth Shaw will charge the city $660 per hour for attorneys’ fees and $275 per hour for paralegal services.