Michael Ovitz Sued for $203K in Legal Fees Related to Pellicano Wire-Tapping Case

2:12 PM PDT 5/20/2011 by Alex Ben Block

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A law firm also alleges it was never paid for a dispute with Ovitz's former business partner Peter Levin.

Rick Maiman/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Los Angeles law firm that included attorney Eric George has filed suit against former talent agent and executive Michael Ovitz and a related corporation for failing to pay $203,881.77 in legal services for work they did on several cases.

The law firm of Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George LLP (DSKBWG) says it is owed money for legal work done for Ovitz and CKE Associates on its own and on behalf of the bankruptcy estate of attorney Marc Dreier. That work started in 2005 and ended when Ovitz stopped using the firm in 2009.

The suit filed Thursday in L.A. Superior Court describes CKE as a shell company through which Ovitz sometimes conducts business.

Among cases the suits says the firm worked on and which Eric George oversaw are a dispute with Ovitz’s former business partner Peter Levin and a suit brought against Ovitz by entertainment journalist Anita Busch in connection with the Anthony Pellicano wire-tapping scandal.

Busch’s suit charges that Ovitz and others made threats against her, including threats against her life. The case had been on hold while other matters related to Pellicano went on, but that civil suit is now going forward.

The suit brought against Ovitz on behalf of DSKBWG was filed by attorneys Bryan Freedman and Jesse Kaplan. It opens by quoting Ovitz as saying, “If you’re not being sued by someone, then you must be doing something wrong.” It goes on to say Ovitz “would apparently rather fight for a ‘litigation discount’ than pay what is rightfully owed.”

The suit also asks that Ovtiz pay interest on what is owed and the plaintiff’s legal costs.

George is a well-known attorney now with Brown Wood George LLP. He has been in the news in recent months representing Oksana Grigorieva, for whom he reportedly negotiated a $15 million settlement with actor Mel Gibson. George is separately said to be taking legal action against Grigorieva for not paying his fee for that case.