Limetree Wants $44,000 From Man With Oily Cistern Claim

Vincent Liger wanted Limetree Bay Terminals to clean his cistern after the company allegedly sprayed clouds of oil over his home in 2021.

Under a law expediting civil suits by people over 70 or who are terminally ill, Liger was able to get his case heard before similar suits. Limetree, the former owners of St. Croix’s oil refinery, argued the law was unconstitutional. When the Virgin Islands Supreme Court agreed, Limetree’s lawyers filed a motion to force Liger, who still has no drinkable water from his cistern, to pay their legal fees: $44,040.

Limetree’s attorneys charged between $300 and $400 an hour, according to court records. The final bill to overturn the fast-tracking law included hours of analysis, writing and reviewing reports, $560 in document printing, and $1,000 to attend the Supreme Court’s oral arguments in May.

On Aug. 2, the Supreme Court said language in the law gave legislators too much authority over the judicial branch, violating the separation of powers guaranteed in the Revised Organic Act — the territory’s de facto constitution.