The saga of Hunter Biden continues as the convicted felon who received a controversial pardon from his father is now facing a lawsuit for refusing to pay his high-priced legal team.
The lawsuit filed this week revealed that the former first son owes “substantially in excess of $50,000” to the prestigious law firm that defended him in his gun crime case.
Winston & Strawn LLP filed the breach of contract lawsuit against Hunter Biden, 55, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
The legal action comes after Hunter repeatedly ignored requests to pay the substantial fees he accumulated while being represented in several complex matters.
This includes his criminal trial in Delaware, where he was found guilty of three felony counts related to lying on a firearm purchase form in 2018.
According to court documents, Hunter signed an engagement contract with Winston & Strawn on December 23, 2022.
Despite making some payments between March 2023 and October 2024, the presidential son has left a significant portion of his legal bills unpaid.
This demonstrates the same disregard for financial obligations that was evident in his tax evasion case.
The case shows that Hunter’s former attorney at the firm, Abbe Lowell, commanded an eye-watering hourly rate of $1,510.
Lowell, who has since left the firm, served as Hunter’s primary lawyer during the period in question.
The exorbitant rate raises questions about how Hunter, whose only apparent qualification for numerous lucrative positions has been his last name, could afford such representation in the first place.
In addition, court filings indicated that Hunter relied heavily on financial support from Kevin Morris, a wealthy supporter who reportedly paid various attorneys on his behalf.
However, by May 2024, Morris was said to be financially strained from carrying Hunter’s substantial legal burdens.
With his benefactor’s resources depleted, Hunter has simply stopped paying his bills.
The lawsuit seeks to enforce the firm’s contract rights and obtain a lien on Hunter’s assets to secure payment of the outstanding fees.
This action comes despite former President Joe Biden controversially pardoning him in December before leaving office, an unprecedented move that critics called a flagrant abuse of presidential power.
Hunter’s legal troubles stem from multiple criminal convictions. In addition to his felony gun crimes, he also pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges in California.
He admitted to failing to pay taxes on millions of dollars earned from foreign business deals, which raised serious questions about influence peddling during his father’s vice presidency.
An initial hearing in the unpaid legal fees case is scheduled for September 19, when Hunter must answer for another financial obligation he has apparently chosen to ignore.
Observers of this ongoing saga of privilege and entitlement have not lost sight of the irony of a presidential pardon recipient refusing to pay the very lawyers who represented him.
