Johnny Depp Settles Fee Dispute With Ex-Lawyers

Gene Maddaus

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Johnny Depp is settling old business with his former lawyers.

First, Depp reached a deal with Jake Bloom, his former entertainment attorney of 18 years, whom the star had accused of pocketing more than $30 million without a written contract. Depp and Bloom reached an out-of-court deal on Oct. 30 that Depp’s side claimed was for “eight figures.”

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Now, Depp has settled another lawsuit — this one brought by the lawyers he hired to sue Bloom. Fredrick Levin, Michael Rome and Ali Abugheida, of the firm of Buckley LLP, were retained to go after Bloom in 2017, and won a key court ruling in the case in August 2018.

But Depp fired the firm in December 2018. Edward White, Depp’s accountant, informed the firm that, “in an effort to be cost effective Mr. Depp and I decided to contract the number of law firms providing services to him and his entities.”

“As it relates to the residual fees of Buckley Sandler LLP, it is our intention to satisfy these fees as soon as Mr. Depp has the financial resources,” White continued.

In May, the law firm filed suit, claiming it had still not been paid $350,000 in legal bills.

In a telephone conference last week, attorneys for Depp and Depp’s ex-lawyers informed the court that the matter has been settled.

Depp’s legal issues are not over though. He is scheduled to go to trial in February in Virginia, where he is suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp contends that Heard defamed him in a Washington Post op/ed last year.

Heard’s attorneys asked the judge in that case for a two-month delay on Monday, saying that Depp has failed to turn over medical records and other discovery materials as ordered by the court.

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