Defendants in a Manhattan commercial case should have to pay nearly $3 million in attorney fees for defaulting on a judgment and then dragging out enforcement litigation for 14 years, a judicial hearing officer has recommended.

Billionaire private equity investor and plaintiff J. Christopher Flowers filed suit in 2010 against 73rd Townhouse LLC and other defendants, alleging fraudulent conveyance and other claims relative to the sale of an Upper East Side townhouse.