Bill Cosby Update: Why Is He Suing His Lawyers?

Bill Cosby has filed a lawsuit against his legal team for millions in damages, claiming that they took advantage of him and his blindness. The law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is named in the suit, which Cosby initially used to represent him against his multiple accusers.

While Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan only represented Cosby for a short time, he racked up almost $9 million in legal fees over a course of nine months, The Blast reported. The law firm later dropped Cosby as a client in 2016, after defending him in part in 10 different cases.

In the lawsuit, which was filed Friday, Cosby is requesting that his arbitration award be vacated after paying a $2.4 million settlement award to the law firm in January after fighting over legal fees.

The law firm billed Cosby for 11,205 hours of work, employing 28 attorneys in five different cities to work on the cases at a fee upwards of $1,175 per hour, according to documents obtained by the news outlet.

In Cosby’s complaint, he contends that he didn’t understand the agreement he signed, blaming it in part on his blindness as he was unable to read the contract and no one explained or read it to him, The Blast said. Cosby’s current legal team allege that Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan “engaged in financial abuse of an elder.”

Cosby also claims that Quinn Emanuel’s staffing decisions and billing practices were egregious and resulted in fee that were totally and completely unconscionable.” This is in addition to the law firm’s alleged conflict of interest in the case as it represented AIG, Cosby’s insurance company, which has settled several cases with his accusers without his knowledge or consent.

In response, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan said, “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. At one point three of his accusers demanded that Cosby establish a 100 Million dollar fund to pay settlements,” the firm added.

Cosby is seeking to have the case reheard and a new arbitrator assigned as well as $4 million in damages. He is currently serving three to 10 years at the SCI-Phoenix prison for the drugging and sexual assault of Andrea Constand.