Marinduque contests $25-M legal fee

The Marinduque provincial government has petitioned the Supreme Court to challenge a Court of Appeals ruling upholding a 25-percent contingency fee, equivalent to about $25 million, for its former private counsel in the Marcopper mining settlement.

A copy of the appellate court’s resolution shows that it declared the fee “reasonable, valid, and binding” and ordered the province to pay Salazar Ernile Defensor & De Mata Law Offices.

The ruling stemmed from an Agreement for Legal Services dated 23 March 2022, between the law firm and the provincial government.

The Court of Appeals also ruled that the law firm’s charging lien was separate from the settlement amount due to the province. It held that the 25-percent share could not be considered public funds and that the settlement proceeds could be garnished.

In a written response to DAILY TRIBUNE, the provincial government described the fee as “excessive and unreasonable,” arguing that compensation should instead reflect the reasonable value of services actually rendered.

The province subsequently confirmed that it had filed a petition before the Supreme Court but did not provide the filing date, case number or a copy of the pleading.

Documents made available to DAILY TRIBUNE did not establish whether the Supreme Court had issued any order affecting enforcement of the appellate court’s ruling.

According to the provincial government, the 25-percent fee arrangement was incorporated into an ordinance passed by the previous Sangguniang Panlalawigan on 30 May 2025.