This is what I do for a living, and this case would definitely not be a $50,000 case. No attorney is going to deal with this guy just to run the bill up like that unless they're slimy as hell. I would be pushing for a settlement at the $12,000 mark. Some people just don't understand that we don't spend our entire day on their case unless we're at trial, and you don't want to be so unwilling to even look like you're compromising that you end up in court. Judges don't like people who drag shit out for no reason other than just because.