Carr
Tillery
Cates
Rex Carr is suing his former law partners to recover at least $6.8 million in legal fees, the bulk of which came from a $42 million settlement in a case against IBM.
In a suit filed March 24 in the Circuit Court of St. Louis, Carr wants Carr Korein Tillery LLC (CKT) and/or Korein Tillery LLC (KT) to pay his portion of attorney fees being held in escrow.
Carr had partnered with Stephen Tillery, Steve Katz and Judy Cates at CKT until the firm dissolved in March 2003. After CKT dissolved, Tillery and Katz formed Korein Tillery LLC, the complaint states. Sandor Korein was a retired member of CKT.
Of the total amount Carr claims he is owed, $5,842,274.36 was escrowed by CKT to cover what was due from a $42 million fee received by Korein Tillery in a St. Clair County class action case Cooper v. IBM, the complaint states.
Carr is represented by James Holloran of Holloran White & Schwartz in St. Louis.
He claims that a memo of understanding between the parties dated April 21, 2004, resolving their disagreements, has been validated by a St. Clair County court.
"That on information and belief, CKT and KT jointly hold on deposit in so-called 'Rex Carr Escrow' accounts with the First Bank of St. Louis, Missouri, the total sum of $6,897,641.25, the amount CKT has allocated to cover the fees it calculated to be due the plaintiff since March 28, 2007, from the Cooper, Clevenger, Call and Little case fees…," the complaint states.
Carr claims that CKT has received an additional $5 million in fees and will receive in the future other fees from other cases, some of which he is entitled to.
Among other things, Carr also asking for an accounting of the disputed fees.