Q: I paid by attny $1400 to have his PI serve a subpoena and then the PI company sent me an additional bill for $862 more.

A: Typically, attorneys act as an agent for their clients in contracting for services like those of a private investigator. As with any contract, the principle (i.e. client) is legally responsible to contractors like private investigators for the cost of those services. As long as the agent (attorney) disclosed to the contractor (PI) the existence of a principle (the client), the PI usually cannot sue the attorney for the cost of the services and must sue the client absent a specific agreement to the contrary or a special law addressing the situation.

If you did not authorize your attorney to subpoena that particular witness, you may have a claim against the attorney for acting outside the scope of his authority. In that instance, you would likely still have to pay the PI, but you could recover that amount from your attorney.

Saying a witness lives within 10 miles of a PI's office isn't particularly meaningful. In an urban or suburban area, tens or hundreds of thousands of people might live within a 10 mile radius of an office. Locating and serving a witness who is evading service of process can be a time-consuming endeavor. Back in the 1980s, actor Tom Selleck in the TV series "Magnum P.I." routinely recited the line that he charges $1,000 / day plus expenses for his services as a private investigator. Inflation has affected the price of such services since then. $862 to serve or attempt to serve a witness who is evading service of process sounds like a customary and usual fee if the PI worked a few hours trying to serve the subpoena.