Lawyers working to get Easterday farming and ranching operations through bankruptcy reorganization have racked up nearly $4.7 million in fees and expenses in four months, and the bills keep coming, the (Walla Walla, Wash.) Union-Bulletin reported. Easterday Ranches filed for bankruptcy protection on Feb. 1, followed by Easterday Farms one week later. The two chapter 11 cases are being jointly administered “for procedural purposes only,” with court staff maintaining one file. Documents recently filed in the main case detail how much the three law firms hired by the Easterdays are seeking in compensation and reimbursement for Feb. 1 through May 31. They are the most recent fee applications on file. The total for four months is $4.67 million. That does not include the $1.4 million requested by attorneys who are tasked with making sure the unsecured creditors for both companies are represented. Chief Judge William L. Holt established a court-approved budget early in the case that allows for the “professionals,” or lawyers, to be paid 80 percent of their fees and 100 percent of their costs. Those bills are being paid by the “debtors” and “debtors-in-possession”: Easterday Ranches, Easterday Farms, and members of the Mesa-based family.
