A New Jersey man has filed a lawsuit against law firm Sills Cummis & Gross PC and accounting firm CohnReznick LLP, accusing them of inflating his bills for services rendered, which totaled nearly $2 million. The suit, filed by Richard Hekemian in Passaic County Superior Court, alleges that both firms engaged in overbilling practices during their representation of him in two legal matters.
Accusations of Overstaffing and Bill Padding
Hekemian, a resident of Oradell, New Jersey, hired Sills Cummis in June 2023 to represent him in a lawsuit he had filed two years earlier. According to the complaint, the law firm advised him to also retain CohnReznick for related accounting services two months later. Hekemian claims that Sills Cummis and CohnReznick engaged in “overstaffing,” “double” or “multiple” billing for the same services, and general invoice padding.
Sills Cummis billed Hekemian $1,550,441 for their services, of which he paid $338,354. Hekemian described the services as “very limited” despite the substantial charges. Additionally, CohnReznick billed him $443,898, bringing the total charges close to $2 million.
Sills Cummis & CohnReznick Client $2M Bill Suit : Legal Disputes and Firm Withdrawal
The legal services in question were for two cases: a dispute with Hekemian’s brother over real estate and their father’s will, and a separate arbitration matter. In July, Sills Cummis sought to withdraw as counsel in the Bergen County Superior Court, citing Hekemian’s failure to fulfill his financial obligations under their retainer agreement.
