A famous comedian brought a legal malpractice action against his former attorneys, arising from the attorneys’ representation of the comedian in his bitter, protracted, and highly-publicized divorce from his wife. The comedian sought in excess of $700,000 from the attorneys based on errors the comedian alleged the attorneys’ made during trial. Pursuant to the attorneys’ retainer agreement with the comedian, which contained an arbitration clause, Marc Zimet compelled the matter to arbitration.
Marc then brought a motion for summary judgment on the grounds that the comedian’s lawsuit had been untimely filed and was therefore barred by the statute of limitations. The arbitrator, a retired and respected Superior Court judge, agreed and granted our motion for summary judgment. In the end, the comedian wasn’t as funny as he thought, and actually ended up owing more than $80,000 to our clients in unpaid legal fees stemming from the divorce case.