I agree that the figures seem out of whack. Whether after the amount of time that has passed the attorney fees can be challenged as excessive is something I don't know, though. Certainly if the matter winds up as a collections action in court, the excessiveness of the fees would be something to argue in defense.
Yes - the OP should review the attorney's bills. If the husband dealt with it alone and she never saw a bill perhaps she should start by getting copies of all the billing statements to review them.
Putting the pieces together — that your husband was a healthcare administrator, that he owed for unpaid taxes on wages, and that the litigation was in U.S. District Court — I'm guessing that what you mean was that the IRS determined he owed for the taxes that were withheld from the wages of other employees but that the company did not pay over to the IRS. That would mean the IRS determined him a "responsible person" and imposed upon him a penalty (known as the trust fund recovery penalty) against him in the amount of the withheld taxes that were not paid to the IRS. Is that right? If so, that helps explain a bit why the litigation was costly (though $200,000 is still a lot). Litigation in district court over whether he was in fact a responsible person can involve a lot of discovery and pre-trial motions, and the trial itself in district court can take several days. Paying a lawyer by the hour, which is how the lawyer would typically be compensated, can quickly add up. I'd need to see the fee agreement and the work done to know if $200,000 was truly an earned fee in that instance.
Good idea.
If he's familiar with Texas community property law he'll have some better insight on the community property part of this than I do for sure. I'm familiar with community property generally, but each community property state is a bit different and I won't hazard a guess on how this would go in Texas.
Texas is a world all its own.Good idea.
Are you saying that the attorney has sued you in TN? If so, that is improper as TN would not have subject matter jurisdiction over you. If so, you should respond, officially, that TN does not have subject matter jurisdiction over you, and ask the judge to dismiss the case.
You might be able to appear telephonically (if you need to appear at all).
I disagree. TN courts certainly would have subject matter jurisdiction. The Tennessee court of general jurisdiction would have the power to resolve a breach of contract case between the parties, assuming there is personal jurisdiction over the defendant.