The attorneys defending Mike Lindell and his business against defamation claims from voting machine companies are seeking to sever ties with the “MyPillow Guy” over millions of dollars in unpaid legal fees.

In a court filing Thursday, the law firm of Parker Daniels Kibort LLC said Lindell and MyPillow are months behind on their legal bills in three defamation cases, and they can no longer afford to represent him.

“At this time, Defendants are in arrears by millions of dollars to PDK,” the filing said. “PDK is a small litigation and trial firm in Minneapolis, MN and cannot afford to finance Defendants’ defense in the Litigations.”

    • redballooon@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      41
      ·
      1 year ago

      At the very least after the first few ten thousand dollars of unpaid bills I would stop working. But there may be other considerations.

    • dan@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      32
      ·
      1 year ago

      It’s pretty common for corporate stuff (legal or otherwise) to start with no payment changing hands, just a contract. Then an invoice lands either monthly or on completion afterwards.

      That makes it easier for the work to actually start (otherwise you need to engage the finance dept up front and they’re often slow), and once the contract is signed and the work started that’s the sales process complete.

      • kn33@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        32
        ·
        1 year ago

        It’s common, but it’s also common to require payment up front or refuse service to businesses with bad credit and/or financial reputation.

        • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          9
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Yes but the retainer is not millions of dollars. I engage a number of firms at any one time and the largest retainer I’ve ever had was $10k.

      • InvaderDJ@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        1 year ago

        It’s common, but probably shouldn’t be for these right wing grifters. Or just grifters in general. If you know someone is trying to start some idealogical bullshit in order to satisfy a personal grievance, you can just kind of assume that you’re not getting paid.

    • sivalente@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Ive needed lawyers for family shit and it was always paid up front. Idk how these guys are getting a fresh dollar worth of work without compensation.

      • teamevil@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        24
        ·
        1 year ago

        Same way banks work, when you owe them 30,000 and can’t pay, you’re fucked. When you owe them 100 million they’re fucked.

      • Unaware7013@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 year ago

        The only time I didn’t pay a lawyer up front was to represent me on contingency and they’d take a percentage of the settlement. No fucking way a lawyer would just represent me without a retainer in any other kind of trial (unless they were pro bono).

    • Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      1 year ago

      Agreed, but it’s hard to feel bad for people with no morals. ’ I will absolutely represent this delusional shitbag, if the money is right’ should not be a thing.

      Hopefully it sinks all of them. It won’t of course, the lawyers will be fine, their interns might be laid off, MyDildo has already been abandoned by his hero. Nothing changes.

      • Tedesche@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        I understand the moral outrage, but remember that our laws guarantee everyone the right to effective legal counsel—even shitty, guilty people. For this reason, I think one has to give some pause before judging lawyers who defend obviously shitty/guilty clients. I saw an expose once on a hated defense lawyer who almost always took cases wherein the defendant was obviously guilty and had virtually no shot at trial due to overwhelming evidence. He maintained he took the clients in question specifically because he felt everyone deserved the right to a decent lawyer and this class of people are often shunned by attorneys who prioritize their win/lose ratio.

        • CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          1 year ago

          An attorney is only guaranteed on criminal cases where you don’t have the funds to pay for one.

          For civil cases, you have to represent yourself or hire an attorney.

    • SeedyOne@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      For some of these firms it’s free press, even if their client is a deadbeat or just plain old ridiculous.

    • SeedyOne@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      For some of these firms it’s free press, even if their client is a deadbeat or just plain old ridiculous.