Dewey & LeBoeuf's DC Landlord Sues Firm Over $550K in Claimed Unpaid Rent
Add another lawsuit to the list of ongoing legal action against Dewey & LeBoeuf.
In an eviction action filed this week in Washington, D.C., the firm’s landlord says it owes $550,000 in rent that wasn’t paid from Feb. 1 to May 12, according to the Washington Post’s Capital Business Blog.
Including $26,000 in late fees and utility charges, taxes and legal costs, the total amount the landlord is seeking tops $927,000.
In recent weeks, the struggling firm has also been sued by employees, including associates who say their reported mass layoffs after one week of notice or less didn’t comply with laws mandating more advance warning.
Earlier this week, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. sued Dewey in Manhattan federal court in an effort to terminate its existing retirement plans, obtain books and records and get a court-appointed trustee to oversee the situation, Bloomberg reported.
Pensions for the 1,776 lawyers and staff entitled to get them are guaranteed up to program limits of approximately $56,000 annually for a 65-year-old retiree.
Although a Dewey spokesman says the law firm “is not formally closed,” most partners have exited and a number of offices in the U.S. and abroad are reportedly winding up operations as attorneys leave or establish their own law firms.
The Houston Business Journal says Dewey’s office there appears to be closed.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “As Top Leaders Join Winston & Strawn and O’Melveny, the Collapse of Dewey & LeBoeuf Appears Imminent”
ABAJournal.com: “Ex-Partner Blames Legal Recruiters, Excessive Pay Guarantees, Angry Colleagues for Dewey’s Downfall”
