The Maryland State Police paramedic who successfully sued his bosses for bias for denying him parental leave has asked the agency to pay his lawyers' fees and expenses of $493,642.36.

That would be in addition to the $375,000 a Baltimore federal court jury awarded Tfc. Howard Kevin Knussman last month after deciding that the state police illegally discriminated against him because he is a man.

The 22-year trooper from Easton made the request for the payment of legal fees in a petition last week to U.S. District Judge Walter E. Black Jr., noting provisions of federal civil rights statutes that enable parties who prevail in lawsuits to recover their costs.

In court papers and in an interview yesterday, one of Knussman's lawyers blamed the high legal fees on the state police, saying the agency's "intransigent approach" to possible settlement and pretrial issues needlessly prolonged the case.

"Four and a half years of intense litigation comes at a substantial cost," said attorney Robin R. Cockey of Salisbury, who filed suit on behalf of Knussman in 1995.

Betty Stemley Sconion, principal counsel for the state police, characterized the fees as "extraordinarily high" and called "totally untrue" the charge that state police legal tactics were responsible for the high costs.

"The state put as much effort, even more, into settling the case than the plaintiffs," she said.

In the petition, Cockey seeks to recover fees and expenses of $177,174; the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland is asking for $186,243.25; and the ACLU national office is requesting $126,680.70. Knussman would be reimbursed for $3,543.76 in travel expenses.

Knussman's attorneys submitted bills at $200 to $225 an hour, the petition said.

In a separate petition, also filed last week, Knussman's lawyers asked Black to rescind a state police order that the trooper undergo a psychiatric examination before resuming work as a paramedic, saying the directive is "unlawful retaliation." State police have called the examination "routine" and said the evaluation is needed to ensure that Knussman is fit for duty after he testified that his legal battle with the agency had left him depressed.

State police also have filed a petition, asking Black to order a new trial or substantially reduce the jury's award.

Pub Date: 3/31/99