A Superior Court judge this week awarded nearly $42,000 in attorneys fees to the East Greenwich firefighters’ union for its successful challenge of the firing of a firefighter.
Judge Susan E. McGuirl issued a bench decision Monday awarding $41,905 in legal fees after hearing arguments, according to Elizabeth Wiens, who represented the East Greenwich Firefighters Association, Local 3328, IAFF, AFL-CIO.
“It’s been a good week,” Wiens quipped.
The decision comes after McGuirl issued a blistering ruling in November, castigating the Town Council for willful and repeated violations of the state’s Open Meetings Act and the Town Charter in the hiring of Town Manager Gayle Corrigan. The judge blasted East Greenwich leaders for misleading their constituents by failing to properly post meetings and declared Corrigan’s appointment “null and void” due to the violations.