More Drama - Leon Black's Former Mistress Guzel Ganieva Will Represent Herself in Lawsuit Against Him

All had been quiet for a while on the legal front, at least as reported by the media. That is in the sensational lawsuit "Ganieva v Black." 

 

Filed by his former mistress Guzel Ganieva, it alleges rape by the co-founder of financial empire Apollo Leon Black. Later that was amended to include alleged attempted sex trafficking for convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Black and Epstein had had a business relationship.

 

In response to the lawsuit, Black filed his own alleging everything from defamation to conspiracy. The court tossed that but not before it generated lots of derision. The style and tone mirrored what has been standard for tabloids. Black is attempting to refile the litigation. Both parties filed a request for sanctions against the other but that was dismissed for both.

 

Now this: Ganieva and the brandname employment law firm Wigdor have parted company. She will represent herself - that is, do pro se litigation. According to Wigdor partner Jeanne Christensen, Ganieva has a law degree. 

 

Essentially Ganieva fired Wigdor and it, in turn, has filed to withdraw. In that filing it states that it has a lien on the case and will receive a portion of any monetary proceeds. 

 

Susan Estrich is representing Black. She had represented the late founder of Fox News Roger Ailes in his legal entanglements because of alleged sexual misconduct. That was not related to any Epstein linkage. Ailes allegedly was a busy bee in his own right. Elite law firm Paul Weiss had been parachuted in 2016  to investigate. Later Ailes stepped down. Since then such internal probes have become a lucrative practice for myriad law firms.

 

If "Ganieva v Black" gets to trial it could have more than the average number of gawkers. Not only could Black's private life be showcased. So will Ganieva's legal skills. Recall the attention Ted Bundy received when he, a former law student, represented himself. 

 

Wigdor remains representing another Black accuser of sexual misconduct - Cheri Pierson.

 

Despite the end of the association with Ganieva, Wigdor will continue to be front-page news. For example, it represents the plaintiffs in the racial bias litigation "Flores, et al. v NFL, et al."

 

In that Wigdor is up against Paul Weiss. The Paul Weiss lead partner on that Loretta Lynch is herself controversial. That circles back to her meeting at the Phoenix airport with Bill Clinton in 2016. She was US Attorney General. Bill’s wife Hillary was under investigation by the Department of Justice for her use of personal emails.

 

The controversy continues in that she, a woman of color, had been a former advocate for civil rights and is currently opposing plaintiffs in racial bias legal actions. An earlier lawsuit about alleged racial discrimination against former Black franchisees “Christine Crawford v McDonald’s USA” had been dismissed. On the Paul Weiss website there is no email on Lynch's profile. Her V-card cannot be activated. The only access are phone and fax.

 

Meanwhile, Black's relationship with the late Epstein is sticky. He has been unable to put together a reputational comeback. However, Ganieva doesn't seem to have become a sympathetic character in all this legal drama. The meme could harden into: A pox on both their houses.

 

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