Firm calls detective's $150,000 fee outrageous

When George Ruhl called the private detective he'd hired last fall to ask how much the investigation had cost so far, he was told, "Forty-two."

He assumed that meant $4,200, but in fact it meant $42,000, according to a recent court filing.

And Mr. Ruhl says he was in for an even bigger surprise a few weeks later when he got the final bill: For a month's work, the Hanover businessman was charged $153,181.88.

The charges from the Glen Burnie firm Haole & Kanaka and Associates included $125 an hour for undercover operations and surveillance - including 36.5 hours in a row at one point, a bill of $4,562.50 for a day and...