Personal Injury Law

Samantha Ronson is suing her former lawyer

By Edward Bills

Ronson is suing the lawyer she hired to stop rumors circulating about her and Lindsay Lohan and he is suing back. The blogs love it.

Martin Garbus is a seasoned attorney from New York men Ronson at a beachside cafe in Santa Monica to discuss being her matter.

Impressing prospective clients is easy for Garbus, whose resume reads like a history of the late 20th century. From the pornography trial against Lenny Bruce to the publishing of the Pentagon Papers to the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, Garbus has handled some of the biggest civil liberties cases in the last five decades. He has dodged segregationists’ bullets in Mississippi, organized migrant workers with Cesar Chavez and helped craft the Czech Republic’s Constitution.

Samantha Ronson is a professional DJ recently thrust into the gossip blogosphere for her rumored romance with actress Lindsay Lohan. Ronson, 31, was enraged by some particularly nasty stories posted online about her relationship with Lohan and wanted to sue.

Ronson agreed to hire him at the rate of $750 an hour.

That first meeting is now a distant memory and the defamation suit meant to discourage scandal-mongering blogs has turned into a costly and humiliating fiasco that has provided more gossip fodder.

For months now, Ronson and Garbus have been locked in their own ugly legal battle: She is suing him for malpractice; he is countersuing to recover his fees.

Ronson, in her malpractice suit, she alleged that Garbus, despite his renown, bungled her case with sloppy work and then abandoned her when she wouldn’t pay a bill she found excessive.

Meanwhile, Garbus lays the blame at Ronson’s feet, saying she scuttled a sensible settlement.

Now the fight between this lawyer and this celebrity — he’s appeared before the Supreme Court; she appears in Us Weekly — threatens to expose information about Lohan and Ronson that bloggers could only dream about.

Garbus’ attorneys have identified Lohan as the most critical witness in the case besides the two litigants and have requested information concerning their relationship, finances, possible drug use and alleged rehab stays. In one measure of how far his defense plans to go, they have asked for copies of every text message and e-mail between the women over the last two years.

A trial is scheduled for May in Los Angeles.

Another wrinkle: A one-car crash: Lohan’s Mercedes-Benz versus some shrubs in Beverly Hills on May 26, 2007. Police reported finding a small amount of cocaine in her car. The actress eventually entered rehab and pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.

Full post as published by Bodily Injury Blog on December 11, 2008 (boomark / email).