Celeb Shutterbug Annie Leibovitz Scores Big In Bitter $1 Million Legal Battle
July 17 2017, Published 10:21 a.m. ET
Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz scored a huge win in a $1 million dollar lawsuit that accused her of stiffing her former financial adviser, convicted conman Kenneth Starr, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Now RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal that Leibovitz, who shot the infamous Vanity Fair cover of Caitlyn Jenner, has reached a settlement in the case, leaving her on the hook for a paltry $25,000 and ending the bitter legal battle.
Starr, a sketchy financial advisor who worked with everyone from Barbara Walters, Uma Thurman and Liam Neeson, was sentenced to over seven years in prison for fraud after he was found guilty of running a $35 million Ponzi scheme in which he stole millions from his celebrity clients.
Starr, 74, was forced into an involuntary bankruptcy in 2011, and the trustee has been attempting to collect the money from the fraud’s various clients to pay back creditors.
In 2014, the trustee went after Leibovitz, 67, accusing her of owing close to $500,000 for work Starr had allegedly performed for her.
The ensuing lawsuit explained that Starr managed the financial and related personal affairs of Leibovitz from December 2008 through April 2010, including tax preparation work, investment advisory services and other financial-related services.
The trustee alleged that Starr invoiced Leibovitz for the work done from 2009 through 2010, but she never paid up, later insisting she did not owe a dime.
As part of the suit, the trustee also claimed that Starr had paid various people to whom Leibovitz owed money and demanded she be ordered to pay back a total of $1,035,102.89 so that he could use the money to pay back Starr’s many creditors.
Leibovitz fired back at the trustee’s $1 million dollar suit, demanding it be thrown out. The photographer to the stars pointed out Starr was sentenced to prison for defrauding her and other clients.
Leibovitz noted that no other Ponzi schemer has successfully sued his victims for money owed. She also argued the lawsuit should be tossed since the trustee failed to provide any proof she agreed to pay the invoices and no evidence of any agreement she purportedly had with Starr.
Now, the courts have sided with Leibovitz, and on June 8, following years of battling it out in court, the trustee filed docs explaining a settlement has been reached with Leibovitz. According to court documents, she has agreed to pay $25,000 to settle the case.
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The trustee said the settlement is considerably low compared to the amount sought in the lawsuit. However, he admitted Starr’s criminal conviction would likely mean a jury would not look favorably upon any of his claims.
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