Samantha Perelman Wins Attorney’s Fees

I have previously discussed Samantha Perelman, daughter of billionaire Ron Perelman and late New York Post columnist Claudia Cohen, who recently lost her $600 million lawsuit against her uncle for her share of the family’s Hudson News fortune.  However, Samantha won $10.6 million in legal fees after enlisting 38 people at nearly four law firms to work around the clock.

Samantha had accused her late mother’s brother James Cohen of pressuring his ailing father, Robert Cohen, to disinherit her.  Although Samantha lost the case, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Estela De La Cruz said she “had reasonable cause for suspicion of undue influence.”  Moreover, Judge De La Cruz reasoned the fee was fair because Samantha’s attorneys spared no expense for the “all-out war” of a trial, leaving “no stone unturned.” 

See Julia Marsh, Perelman’s Daughter Wins $10.6M In Legal Fees In ‘Near Historic’ Trial, New York Post, March 18, 2015.

Special thanks to Jim Hartnett (Hartnett Law Firm) for bringing this article to my attention.