The coal industry is helping President Obama’s former law school mentor ease into retirement, paying him up to $75,000 per month in legal fees to fight the administration’s climate rules.
Laurence Tribe, the Harvard constitutional law professor who mentored the president, said in court documents submitted Friday that he will earn $75,000 per month from August-December to represent coal giant Peabody in its litigation opposing the Clean Power Plan.
Oral arguments in the lawsuit opposing the regulations are slated for Sept. 27 in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Tribe disclosed his payments in documents submitted in Peabody’s bankruptcy proceedings. The company filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year, citing the “unprecedented industry downturn,” stemming from waning demand and a shift to natural gas for electricity production. The coal company is one of the largest in the world.
SNL Financial reported that the company paid Tribe $25,000 in May, $17,500 promised in both June and July and from August to December 2016, $75,000 per month.
The total bill is expected to be at least $435,000, according to the filing.
