A recent Law 360 story by Lauren Berg, “Quinn Emanuel Says LA County, Ex-Sheriff Owe Legal Bills”, reports that Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP has sued Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and former Sheriff Alex Villanueva in state court, saying they still haven't paid a 4-year-old bill for the firm's legal services.  After Quinn Emanuel provided legal services to the former sheriff in a lawsuit over his decision to rehire a deputy, the law firm claims the county blocked it from receiving a $280,075 payment for the "first few months of legal services," according to the complaint filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

"Quinn Emanuel proceeded to litigate on behalf of the sheriff and LASD, but defendants have failed to pay any amount of fees and costs to Quinn Emanuel even though Quinn Emanuel was retained pursuant to the [Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors'] and county counsel's authorization," the firm said.

The dispute stretches back to February 2019, when county counsel informed Villanueva that he would need to select independent counsel to represent him in a lawsuit filed by the Board of Supervisors over the former sheriff's decision to rehire Deputy Caren Carl Mandoyan after he had been fired over alleged personal and professional misconduct, according to the suit.

Villanueva then retained Quinn Emanuel, which drew up a written agreement effective March 4, 2019, the complaint states.  It included anticipated billing rates ranging from $695 per hour to $1,400 per hour, but also acknowledged that the Board of Supervisors had agreed to pay an unspecified amount of the sheriff's and LASD's legal bills, according to the suit.

After the county sought a temporary restraining order, Quinn Emanuel appeared at the hearing on March 6 on behalf of the sheriff and the LASD, the suit states.  While there, none of the county's attorneys objected to Quinn Emanuel's representation nor did they suggest that a contract between the Board of Supervisors and Quinn Emanuel was required, according to the complaint.  After litigating the case for about a month, the county's attorneys suddenly demanded that Quinn Emanuel enter into a contract with county counsel in order to be paid, the complaint states.

The county also threatened to withhold payment until Quinn Emanuel agreed to "unreasonable and unacceptable terms unilaterally imposed by the county," including that it could only represent Villanueva, not the LASD, and that Villanueva could have counsel for only two of the county's three causes of action, according to the complaint.  The proposed agreement fixed the hourly rate for all Quinn Emanuel partners and associates at a blended rate of $495 per hour, according to the suit.