Dowie sues for legal fees from Fleishman Hillard
Former public relations executive Douglas R. Dowie, convicted in May of bilking the city out of $6 million, has sued to try to force former employer Fleishman-Hillard Inc. to pay his legal bills.
Dowie alleges the firm withdrew a promise to pay his $3 million in legal fees after he was indicted, according to the suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Feb. 22, 2007 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday February 22, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 89 words Type of Material: Correction
Doug Dowie suit: A brief article in Saturday’s California section said former newspaper and public relations executive Douglas R. Dowie was convicted of bilking Los Angeles of $6 million through overbilling for consultant services. Dowie was convicted on charges involving $500,000 in overbilling. His former employer, Fleishman-Hillard Inc., paid the city $5.7 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the public relations company padded its bills. A city audit in November 2005 had identified $4.2 million in questionable and unsubstantiated billings to the city’s Department of Water and Power.
Rich Jerndstedt, executive vice president for Fleishman-Hillard, said the firm felt it was no longer appropriate to pay Dowie’s legal fees after he was fired.
Dowie was sentenced in January to serve 3 1/2 years in federal prison.
