Lead Counsel in OJ Simpson Case Sues 3 Lawyers for Claimed Slander in Legal Fee Dispute
An out-of-state lawyer heading O.J. Simpson’s defense team in a 2008 armed robbery trial in Nevada that ended with the former football great’s conviction has fired back in a legal fee dispute with local counsel.
Miami attorney Yale Galanter of sued three attorneys for slander in a suit filed Thursday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, the Associated Press reports.
The defendants are Gabriel Grasso, who sued Galanter for breach of contract in March in Nevada, contending that he was paid only $15,000, in 2007, of a promised $250,000 for representing Simpson, as well as Grasso’s lawyer, Josh Tomsheck, and Malcolm LaVergne, who represented Simpson on appeal.
Although an April 3 article published by the AP is at issue in the case, the news agency is not a defendant, the most recent AP article notes.
Two of the three defendants did not immediately respond to AP requests for comment, but LaVergne called the Florida suit frivolous.
“Gabe’s lawsuit is a legitimate lawsuit about payment of fees,” LaVergne said. “Yale is suing Gabe for suing him.”
Earlier this month, the Las Vegas Sun reported about Grasso’s Clark County District Court suit against Galanter.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Simpson & Co-Defendant Argue for Bail, Separate Trial Based on His Notoriety”
ABAJournal.com: “Nevada Supreme Court Upholds Conviction of OJ Simpson”
