Sued By Brunei Prince for Alleged $7M Theft, His Ex-Lawyers Win $21M as Prince Gets $54K
A lawsuit by a prominent former client had a silver lining for the husband-and-wife attorneys he accused of abusing his trust to steal some $7 million from him.
After a trial lasting more than a month, a New York jury began deliberations today and soon made two awards totaling $21 million to the British lawyers, Faith Zaman Derbyshire and Thomas Derbyshire. It gave the plaintiff, Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei, about $54,000, reports the Associated Press.
Bolkiah, a brother of the sultan and known for his lavish lifestyle, had contended that the two attorneys took advantage of the authority he gave them by siphoning off $5 million from a real estate deal, leasing themselves a $500-a-month apartment at the New York Palace hotel he owns and charging personal expenses to corporate credit cards. But they said everything they did was authorized, and they cited expenses they had fronted for him.
The prince is expected to appeal the verdict in the Manhattan Supreme Court case.
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Prince’s Case Is About Alleged Overcharges by His Lawyers, Not Sex or Harem, Judge Says”