Bill Cosby replaces his high-profile lawyer with BigLaw firm; were press statements the reason?
Bill Cosby. Image from Randy Miramontez / Shutterstock.com.
Bill Cosby has replaced one of his lawyers in two civil suits against the comedian that allege sexual misconduct and defamation.
Lawyer Martin Singer is being replaced with Quinn Emmanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, report the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and the Associated Press. The Los Angeles Times describes Singer as “a Hollywood pit bull attorney” and says Quinn Emmanuel lawyer Christopher Tayback is taking his place.
Tayback, whose father is the late TV actor Vic Tayback, is a former prosecutor.
Singer told the Los Angeles Times that he couldn’t comment on the reason for the split because of attorney-client privilege. But the New York Times points out that several defamation cases against Cosby have cited Singer’s claim that rape accusations against the comedian are “unsubstantiated, fantastical stories.”
Singer is being replaced in two lawsuits, according to the New York Times. One suit alleges Cosby forced the plaintiff, Judy Huth, to perform a sex act on him at the Playboy Mansion in 1974 when she was 15. Cosby was deposed in the case earlier this month.
In the second suit, former model Janice Dickinson claims Cosby defamed her when he and his legal team said her rape allegations were lies. Dickinson’s lawyer, Lisa Bloom, told AP that Singer shouldn’t have been representing Cosby in the suit.
“As Mr. Singer, on behalf of Mr. Cosby, sent out the defamatory press releases about Ms. Dickinson, it was not appropriate for him to represent Mr. Cosby in the case,” Bloom told AP. “I’m surprised the change of attorneys took this long.”
Bloom’s mother is Gloria Allred, who is representing Huth, USA Today reports in this story.
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