Legal News

Lawsuit Alleges Jesse Jackson Jr. Owes $131,000

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By Teresa Lo

Posted on May 24, 2017

Summary: Jesse Jackson, Jr. was sued this week for not paying his divorce attorney’s legal bill.

It’s more legal woes for Jesse Jackson, Jr. The son of Reverend Jesse Jackson and a once respected Democratic leader has just been sued by a law firm that said he owes them $131,000 in unpaid legal fees.

Berger Schatz LLC filed its lawsuit on Tuesday, according to The Chicago Tribune. The firm represented the fallen former Illinois congressman in his bitter divorce from Sandi Jackson, and they said that he owes them $131,000 for services rendered, including the use of an attorney with a rate of $695 an hour.

The firm is asking that Jackson, Jr. pay $122,500 as part of an agreement that was previously reached. If Jackson, Jr. does not pay the discounted amount at a certain time, the firm asked that he pay the entire amount plus nine percent interest.

While Jackson Jr.’s divorce may be nasty, the lawyer suing him, Brendan Hammer, told The Chicago Tribune that Berger Schatz’s lawsuit was “amicable.” Hammer said that the firm intended to have a court order for enforcement of the firm’s deal because this was standard procedure “when someone doesn’t have the means to just write a check.”

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According to the lawsuit filed this week, Jackson, Jr. must pay the discount rate once his divorce is finalized or after he sells or refinances his two homes.

The divorce and paying for it are only two troubles for Jackson, Jr., who has seemingly lived a life of turmoil after he pled guilty to corruption in 2013. Jackson, Jr. and his wife were once part of a promising Democratic power couple until he admitted to misusing $750,000 in campaign money. Jackson Jr. resigned from his position as Illinois congressman, and Sandi stepped down as a Chicago alderman.

During the pair’s tense divorce proceedings, Sandi stated that Jackson Jr. had cheated on her multiple times during their 25-year marriage. She had asked for his sex partners’ names and personal information during the litigation, The Chicago Tribune said.

The divorce proceedings also revealed that Jackson, Jr. is collecting a whopping $138,400 a year in workers’ compensation, and this detail inspired a representative from Jackson Jr.’s state to introduce a federal bill aimed at changing workers’ comp rules for congress members.

“It’s unfortunate when anyone games the system, but it’s especially disappointing when it’s done by a public official who swore to defend the Constitution and faithfully execute the office he or she holds,” Rep. Rodney Davis, a Republican from Illinois said in a statement. “I believe all members of Congress should be held to a higher standard and if you’re convicted of a crime related to your job as a member of Congress, you should not be eligible for benefits that are in place to help honest, working Americans.”

This month, The Chicago Sun-Times also reported that Jackson Jr. may have taken gifts and cash from a Chinese billionaire while still in Congress. He is currently under a criminal investigation for that allegation.