Bill Cosby is claiming that he paid his former lawyers the high-priced retainer of $1 million per month for nine months and wants his money back.
According to The Blast, Cosby filed a petition on Friday to “vacate an arbitration award” presented to the legal counsel of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan law firm, who most recently received $2.4 million in arbitration in January 2019.
Cosby wants to “collect $4 million in damages” from his former defense, claiming that the firm “engaged in financial abuse of an elder.”
The contract between the defense team and Cosby was originally $1,175 per hour for legal fees. Cosby is questioning the ethics of the firm, expressing his inability to thoroughly review the contract because he’s legally blind.
“Quinn Emanuel’s staffing decisions and billing practices were egregious and resulted in a fee that were totally and completely unconscionable,” said Cosby.
Quinn Emanuel parted ways with Cosby in 2016 after representing the comedian in 10 different sexual assault cases, including his public criminal trial and the suit filed by Janice Dickinson.
In an official statement, his former legal counsel made it clear that Cosby’s media frenzy of a case was not easy to take on.
“The amount at stake was monumental. Cosby retained Quinn to represent him in a criminal case which he faced the possibility of what would effectively be life imprisonment, along with the loss of his legacy and reputation. He also faced exposure to substantial and punitive damages in civil cases.”
The firm added, “At one point three of his accusers demanded that Cosby establish a $100 million fund to pay settlements.”
Cosby is demanding for the case to be reviewed in arbitration, proposing a potential conflict of interest.
According to Cosby, Quinn Emanuel also represents his insurance company, AIG who has allegedly been closing deals with several of his accusers.
