In the ruling this month detailing the disqualification efforts on both sides, Justice O. Peter Sherwood of the New York State Supreme Court sided with Mr. Rose, noting
that his Kasowitz lawyers had “been privy to Rose’s personal and financial information, including information about Georgetown and the fees at issue in this litigation.”
The Kasowitz firm had argued that there was no disqualifying conflict
because the matrimonial group had “effectively operated behind an ethical wall so no other attorneys are privy to their matters,” according to the ruling.
Breakaway Lawyers From Kasowitz Firm Point to Conflicts Dispute -
By ELIZABETH OLSONMARCH 21, 2017
A group of lawyers known for celebrity divorces surprised the legal industry last spring when they announced they would leave
the New York law firm led by Marc E. Kasowitz, a longtime lawyer for President Trump, after two decades at the firm.
The position of the Kasowitz firm, according to legal documents, was
that there was no conflict between representing Mr. Rose’s personal dealings and representing his adversary in the legal dispute over a fee for development rights for a property in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.
They point to a ruling this month that disqualified the firm, Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman, from representing an opponent of the Georgetown Company in a $35 million real estate dispute
because the law firm already represented one of Georgetown’s principals, Joseph B.
Mr. Kasowitz is best known as a lawyer for Mr. Trump, representing him in such matters as a 2006
lawsuit challenging published assertions that Mr. Trump was not a billionaire as he claimed.
