Accused Of Being Unethical In Lawsuit, Law Firm Plans Response On Social Media
They accuse Quinn Emanuel of being 'bought off' by client Leon Black.
Yesterday, the employment law boutique law firm, Wigdor Law, was sued in New York state court. The firm was accused by the plaintiff, billionaire Leon Black, of malicious prosecution of a civil claim. Wigdor represents Black’s former mistress, Guzel Ganieva, who accused Black of abusing her during their relationship. The firm filed a lawsuit on Ganieva’s behalf against Black, but that was ultimately dismissed, due to a non-disclosure agreement.
That lawsuit Black faced is the basis of the new lawsuit he filed against Wigdor. (UPDATE: This is actually the third time Black has sue the Wigdor firm. The first, filed in October of 2021 has since been dismissed. The second was filed in December of 2022.) According to reports, the complaint alleges that the firm pursued the allegations against Black “even after it knew the allegations were demonstrably false” and “threaten[ed] to file baseless, unsubstantiated lawsuits if he did not kowtow to Wigdor’s exorbitant demands.”
The complaint goes on to detail “Wigdor History of Questionable Ethics”:
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According to the complaint, “[Wigdor] has a unique business model: it threatens to sue defendants with scandalous allegations that can be avoided only at the cost of a large settlement, of which Wigdor takes a substantial cut.”
In this lawsuit, Black is represented by Quinn Emanuel and partner Michael Carlinsky.
Wigdor has denied the allegations in what one might characterize as a traditional manner, with partner Jeanne Christensen saying the lawsuit is “frivolous” and “meant to scare and warn other women, and lawyers who may represent them.” Adding, “Sadly, there are always lawyers willing to file such nonsense when someone like Leon Black is paying the hourly rates.”
But the firm has also taken to social media to fight the fight.
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As detailed on their Twitter/X account, they’ve indicated they’re in possession of communications from Carlinsky that indicate a positive working relationship, quite different than you’d expect since he called the firm out on their “questionable ethics.”
And they continue.
Indeed, the firm says, “Starting tomorrow and continuing daily we will be rolling out these emails. Stay tuned.”
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Well, we’re intrigued and will definitely have to watch to see how the story develops.
UPDATE: Michael Carlinsky has issued a statement in response:
“It’s disappointing that Wigdor would engage in these unprofessional tactics. I admired firm co-founder Ken Thompson and referred cases to Ken and Doug. But after Ken left the firm, in 2021 I stopped considering them for referrals, because I became concerned the firm had lost its way. This sorry episode confirms that.”
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
