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Attorney in Shawn Bentler Estate Battle Loses Bid For Extra Fees
DES MOINES – The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that a Farmington attorney, who represented murderer Shawn Bentler’s children in an estate battle, would not receive $85,000 in attorney fees he requested.
Attorney Steven Westercamp appealed a district court ruling to award him more than $47,000 for services he provided as guardian ad litem to the children in the estate of Shawn Bentler’s parents, Michael and Sandra, valued at $2.8 million. Michael Bentler’s siblings, Sandra Bentler’s parents and the mothers of Shawn Bentler’s children were each involved in court battles to divide the family's estate. Shawn Bentler was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder in May 2007 and is serving five life sentences. Bentler drove from his home in Quincy, Ill., in October 2006 and shot to death his family in their rural Bonaparte home in southeastern Iowa. Westercamp applied for and received attorney fees for more than $65,000 for his work on the Bentler family's case in 2008, but then later sought additional fees of more than $85,000 for his work from May 1, 2008 to May 8, 2009. The court ruled some of the results obtained by Westercamp were positive and productive, but other actions were ill-advised or unproductive for his clients, according to the appeal. Westercamp was replaced during the battle and the district court approved a settlement on the children’s behalf that Westercamp argued against, so his “initial successes were largely in vain,” according to the appeal. More Good Stuff |
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