Intern Says Attorney For Wenkai Li Owes Her Thousands For Case Work

A legal intern contends Moscow lawyer Michael Henegen pocketed thousands of dollars from Latah County for work she did during a double murder trial, according to a 2nd District Court lawsuit.

Shari Dodge, now working as a district court clerk in Latah County, sued Henegen on Friday for failure to pay her $18,757.50 for about 400 hours of legal research and brief preparation, primarily during the defense of former University of Idaho graduate student Wenkai Li.

Li eventually was sentenced to 65 years to life in prison for the murders of two fellow Chinese students.

“My client has reviewed one of your billings to the court on the Li case, and notes that from October 26, 1995, to October 31, 1995, you billed the court 26 hours at $75 per hour for work that was entirely performed by my client,” Moscow attorney Craig Mosman wrote in a letter to Henegen that was included as an exhibit in the suit.

Counting claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment and triple the amount of unrecovered wages, Dodge is seeking about $75,000.

Henegen said on Friday that he has hired Moscow attorney Allen Bowles and directed all questions about the lawsuit to him. Bowles was unavailable for comment.

According to the lawsuit, Dodge quit a job with the Nez Perce County prosecutor’s office to work for Henegen on the promise he would pay her for work while she finished her law degree at the University of Idaho. But Mosman contends Dodge so far has received no money for her services.

That has forced her to go into debt, the lawyer said.

According to county records, Henegen was paid $42,441 from January to June for Li’s defense.

Latah County commissioners repeatedly challenged Henegen for what they described as questionable billings in the case.