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Bill Cosby’s Former Lawyer Is Suspended Amid Claims She ‘Misappropriated Funds’

Bill Cosby’s Former Lawyer Is Suspended Amid Claims She ‘Misappropriated Funds’

Monique Pressley
Monique Pressley, Bill Cosby’s former lawyer, has been banned from practicing law in Washington, D.C. for grave misconduct and misappropriating funds. Here are the captions for the original photos: In this courtroom sketch, as attorney Brian McMonagle, right, speaks, fellow attorney Monique Pressley, left, and their client Bill Cosby, listen during Cosby’s court appearance Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Norristown, Pa. Cosby was arrested and charged in December with drugging and violating former Temple University athletic department employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004. He could get up to 10 years in prison if convicted. (Jane Rosenberg via AP) Members of Bill Cosby’s law team, from left, Monique Pressley, Christopher Tayback and Brian McMonagle arrive at the Montgomery County Courthouse on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016 before a pre-trail hearing in Norristown, Pa. The defense will argue that Cosby had a deal with a suburban Philadelphia prosecutor in 2005 that he wouldn’t be prosecuted and should testify freely in accuser Andrea Constand’s civil lawsuit. That testimony, released only last year, prompted the successors of former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. to reopen the case and ultimately charge the 78-year-old Cosby with felony sexual assault. Cosby has not yet entered a plea. (Clem Murray/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP, Pool)

Monique Pressley, Bill Cosby’s former lawyer, has been banned from practicing law in Washington, D.C. The disgraced attorney rose to prominence while she potently represented Cosby during his sexual assault case and appeared as a legal contributor for various news networks. She faced disbarment for allegations that she misappropriated funds for personal use, according to an exclusive report by Daily Mail.

Several former clients accused Pressley of demanding upfront payment of retainers without doing much work, depositing the money into personal accounts, then requesting more money, Daily Mail reported. The former Fox News contributor is even accused of “driving a client to a bank to pay her in cash.”

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After an investigation into the claims by a disciplinary counsel, Pressley’s license to practice law in D.C. was suspended ‘based on disability.’ The counsel said it had ‘clear and convicting evidence’ of Pressley’s misconduct and recommended disbarment. Instead she was “indefinitely suspended from the practice of law in the District of Columbia,” according to court documents obtained by Daily Mail.

Though she quit Cosby’s legal team in 2016, she was heralded as a formidable and capable attorney during her television appearances. The former clients who filed complaints against her said they didn’t get the same treatment.

Those who filed complaints against Pressley include: a couple she attended church with, a man who said his job committed age and gender discrimination against him and a couple who were seeking to investigate the suspicious death of their son, who served in the U.S. Navy.

All accused Pressley of taking thousands of dollars in advance payment, not holding up her agreement with them, then demanding more money to complete their cases. All also say they never got resolution to the matters at hand, nor received the refunds they requested from Pressley.

According to the disciplinary board who investigated the complaints, Pressley never responded to the charges or showed up at any hearings. When the Daily Mail contacted Pressley for comment, she declined.

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