Alex Rodriguez is being sued by his lawyer, David Cornwell, for over $380,000 in unpaid legal fees. Cornwell, a prominent sports attorney, acted as legal counsel for A-Rod during his Biogenesis doping suspension scandal. Apparently he wasn’t the only one giving A-Rod legal advice.
Cornwell filed a complaint on Monday demanding the payment as well as prejudgment interest and attorney fees. The complaint stated Rodriguez refused to pay the amount, relying on the advice of ex-con Desiree Perez who was arrested in1994 for intent to sell 35 kilograms of cocaine. Currently, she works as a business advisor for Roc Nation, an entertainment company founded by Jay-Z.
Cornwell’s law firm Gordon & Rees also said in the complaint that Rodriguez admitted he was instructed by Perez not to pay his legal fees and to anticipate the law firm to sue him. The Daily News reported when Rodriguez contemplated to cut a deal with MLB and retire, Perez convinced him to continue to fight the drug charges. The complaint further said that although the firm filed a petition for arbitration, Rodriguez simply ignored the petition.
According to the complaint, Rodriguez hired Cornwell to lead his legal team because Cornwell successfully convinced an arbitrator to overturn Ryan Braun’s doping suspension. However, in the midst of evidence and testimony linking him to Anthony Bosch, the former chief of the shuttered Biogenesis, Inc., Rodriguez struggled to fight the drug charges and eventually failed to reverse the suspension. He admitted using performance enhancing drugs before but denied using them since 2003.
Despite his age and surgery on both hips in recent years, Rodriguez plans to return to the Yankees in 2015 after being suspended for the last two months of the 2013 season and the entire 2014 season.
Alex Rodriguez sued by lawyer over $380,000 in unpaid legal fees
Anthony Bosch Talked About MLB Doping Scandal On Sunday’s 60 Minutes