Johnny Depp scores court win over ex lawyer on ‘contract’
LOS ANGELES: Johnny Depp scored a significant legal victory on Tuesday, as a Los angeles Superior Court judge ruled that his contract with his lawyer should have been in writing.
Depp is seeking to recoup tens of millions of dollars in legal fees paid out to Jake Bloom over 18 years. The ruling could also have profound effects on legal dealings in Hollywood, where agreements are often based on a handshake rather than a written contract.
Bloom was paid based on a percentage of the actor’s earnings. The relationship fell apart in 2017, as Depp was also fi ghting a legal war with the Management Group, his former management company.
Depp sued Bloom in October, arguing that the fee arrangement was effectively done on a contingency basis, which under California law must be in writing. Bloom countersued, arguing that Depp had failed to fully pay his legal bills and had violated the unwritten agreement. Bloom’s attorneys argued that the agreement was not a contingency arrangement, but Judge Terry Green disagreed.
“There’s not a special rule for entertainment people,” Green said on Tuesday. “Why isn’t it in writing? Why not have something that memorialises the agreement so we don’t end up in court fi ghting like this?”
Bloom’s attorney, Ray Cardozo, argued that his fee arrangement is quite common, and that it differs significantly from the typical contingency agreement.
“With a contingency fee, you are speculating on an uncertain outcome,” Cardozo said. In Depp’s case, he argued the agreement was closer to a law fi rm doing work for a tech startup in exchange for equity rather than cash. “You’re not speculating on an outcome… Your piece of Depp’s income can fluctuate.”