A Dukes County superior court judge has ruled that the town of Oak Bluffs must pay back some $35,700 in attorney’s fees to the town fire investigator, who won a court-ordered reinstatement last year after he was ousted by the fire chief two years prior.

In June 2010 the Hon. Tina Page, an associate justice of the superior court, ordered the town to reinstate Peter Martell as fire investigator, finding no legal or justifiable reason for his 2008 dismissal by fire chief Peter Forend. Judge Page also ordered the town to pay Mr. Martell damages, attorney’s fees and back wages (the fire investigator is paid a small annual stipend). The total amount of attorney’s fees was not specified at the time.

In the May 11 court ruling Judge Page calculated the amount of attorney’s fees owed as $35,736, a significant reduction from the amount of $71,600 requested by Mr. Martell’s attorney. The judge found a variety of reasons to reduce the fees, but wrote in the decision, “For the most part, the costs sought are reasonable and adequately documented.”