Bill Cosby Sued For Unpaid Legal Bills Of $282,000
Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook | Twitter
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As if disgraced comedian Bill Cosby didn't have enough problems.
A Philadelphia-based law firm is suing Cosby for failing to pay more than $282,000 in legal fees generated from representing the entertainer in civil and criminal cases related to sexual assault allegations that go back decades.
According to the Legal Intelligencer, Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis filed a complaint in state court in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, against the now-imprisoned entertainer on Sept. 21 demanding payment of their bills along with late fees, interest and costs.
Cosby hired the firm in March 2016, months after criminal charges were filed against him for drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand. He was represented by Schnader Harrison partner Sam Silver.
The 81-year-old Cosby paid for work Schnader Harrison performed through the end of June 2017, but he still owes the firm money from August 2017 to July 25 of this year. Silver continued to represent Cosby leading up to the April 2018 criminal trial despite the outstanding balances. He also represented Cosby in a breach-of-contract lawsuit that Cosby filed against Constand, which the entertainer dropped.
"Cosby's spokesman and other employees made several promises to Schnader Harrison since then that the payments were forthcoming, the complaint said, but they never were paid," Legal Intelligencer reported. "On Aug. 30, the complaint said, Silver told Cosby's new lawyers by email that the firm would file a lawsuit on Sept. 4 if it was not paid by then."
Cosby' first trial ended in a hung jury last year, but he was found guilty of aggravated indecent assault in April. He was sentenced earlier this week to three to 10 years in prison and is currently housed in a single cell in a new $400 million state prison in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
Spokespeople for Cosby and Schnader Harrison couldn't immediately be reached for comment. Attorney Peter Goldberger, who is currently representing Cosby, declined to comment.
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
