A recent New York Law Journal story by Christine Simmons, “Law Firm Legal Battles That Slipped from the Headlines in 2017,” reports on an update of the Kasowitz Benson Torres unpaid legal fees case.  The story reads:

While law firms have a mixed record of beating back legal malpractice and discrimination cases, they often are successful in obtaining judgments against ex-clients for unpaid legal fees on a quantum meruit basis.  For instance, Kasowitz Benson Torres, which has a history of going to court to get such fees, sued Patriot National Inc. in late May 2017 in Manhattan Supreme Court, seeking $1.097 million in legal fees.

The company, which provided back-office functions to insurance companies, then filed suit against the firm the Florida state court, alleging it engaged in fraudulent billing, malpractice and other misconduct that cost the company millions of dollars. The former CEO of Patriot also sued Kasowitz as well as Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in Florida state court.

Despite the malpractice litigation in Florida, Kasowitz prevailed in its New York collection fee suit: it obtained a $1.185 million judgment against Patriot National in December 2017, after a ruling from Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits.

Yet any immediate opportunity to collect the judgment is in doubt. Patriot National filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy papers in late January in Delaware.

Kathryn Coleman, a partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed representing Patriot in its bankruptcy, did not return a call for comment, neither did Kasowitz’s attorney in the collection matter, partner Joshua Siegel.