CAGW Releases Second Round of Numbers

(Washington, D.C.) - In an ongoing effort to inform taxpayers of the high cost of the continued litigation against Microsoft by nine state attorneys general and the District of Columbia, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released the second of its weekly updates estimating the amount of money being risked by the states at taxpayers' expense.  The total amount spent can be tracked through a spending meter located on CAGW's website, www.cagw.org.  At the conclusion of the trial, on behalf of the taxpayers in the nine states and DC, CAGW will present an invoice to the attorneys general for the final cost.

CAGW's analysis, based on information collected from other leading litigation firms in Washington, reveals that each day in court costs at least $30,000.  This stage of the trial, which began Monday, March 18, 2002, has now reached its tenth day, amounting to a total of $300,000.  Once pretrial preparation, estimated at $250,000, is factored in the total becomes $550,000.

"This stage of the trial has already cost taxpayers more than a half million dollars, and it has only been two weeks," CAGW President Tom Schatz said.  "If this trial continues for months, as expected, taxpayers could end up with a rather hefty legal bill.  It is time to close this case and devote the resources being spent to needs that are far more important to the citizens of California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Utah, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, such as homeland security."

CAGW has repeatedly asked for information regarding the states' expenditures in the case by filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the attorneys general, most recently in January 2002.  The states have either denied the requests or provided incomplete responses.  California, for example, which is leading the effort to prolong the litigation, promised to provide information by early February.  To date, there has been no additional response from the state.

"It is time the states come clean regarding the amount of money they are spending on this case," continued Schatz.  "The states' attorneys general have attempted to extend the scope of the original trial to include more products.  They may not even have the legal standing to do so, and such actions will only prolong the trial - costing taxpayers even more money.  People want to see this litigation come to end.  The federal government and nine other states have already settled the case, and so too should the remaining states."

CAGW has calculated that prior to the current remedy phase of the litigation, the cost of the entire Microsoft trial involving all the states and the Department of Justice is $35 million.  CAGW will update the state attorneys’ general spending meter every Friday morning through the end of the Microsoft lawsuit.

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.