Buzbee, Tony A former client sued me for keeping a sizable portion of the settlement.

Matthew Ray Thompson Jr. has filed a federal lawsuit against his former attorney, Tony Buzbee, claiming that Buzbee exploited him during a personal injury case. Thompson, who was injured in July 2023 while working as a deckhand on a vessel, says that after retaining Buzbee for his lawsuit, automatic payments were made to Thompson by his employer. However, Thompson alleges that these payments were sent directly to Buzbee’s firm, where Buzbee then provided disbursements to him with a costly condition. Thompson accuses Buzbee of loaning him his own money at a high-interest rate, withholding more than 60% of the money he was owed.

Thompson’s lawsuit echoes claims made by Jay-Z in his recent public critique of Buzbee, with both accusing the attorney of leveraging public reputations for financial gain. Thompson suggests that Buzbee has a history of engaging in these practices with other clients as well.

Buzbee has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit.