Beth Shak was sued by her previous ex-husband, a Wall Street broken, in 2012 for over $1 million for not reporting her 1200 pairs of shoes.
Pro poker player Beth Shak’s blind date went really badly, to the tune of a $130,000 lawsuit. Shak recently told the New York Daily News that her relationship with NYC attorney Mark Jay Krum went “terribly, terribly awry”.
In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court, Beth Shak claimed she had been introduced by a mutual friend to Mark Jay Krum, who set the two up on a date. Shak was involved in a divorce case with Fox News senior correspondent Rick Leventhal, whom she married in June 2016. The two filed for divorce in April 2017.
During their date, Mark Jay Krum convinced Beth Shak he could help her with her divorce case. Krum convinced her to file a divorce suit, to which she agreed. During a Nov. 20 dinner at a Cheesecake Factory in Cherry Hill, N.J., Beth Shak wrote a $10,000 check to Krum.
Beth Shak Paid $15k for Legal Fees
She also wrote a $5,000 check to a Los Angeles-based lawyer as a retainer “at Mr. Krum’s insistence”. Beth Shak claims in court documents that she believed the $15,000 she paid in legal fees would be the extent of what she had to pay, unless her lawsuit was successful.
In December 2017, a few weeks after Krum became Beth Shak’s lawyer, Krum showed her a lawsuit draft. Because her divorce was proceeding more amicably, Shak decided to hold off on a new divorce filing. Mark Jay Krum became “belligerent and attempted to coerce her.”
Krum Billed $795-an-Hour for 150 Hours
First, Krum threatened to bill Beth Shak $795-per-hour if she did not file her divorce claim. When she refused to file the suit, Krum sent her a $135,000 invoice for 150 hours of work on her case. Presumably, he was working nearly 40 hours a week on the case, even after she declined to file suit, because the invoice arrived on January 9.
Beth Shak now filed a lawsuit, asking a New York City judge to declare she does not owe Mark Jay Krum any money. In response, Mark Jay Krum’s office released a statement which said, “The allegations in Ms. Shak’s complaint are without merit and I will be filing a detailed answer and counter claim with the Federal Court.”
What Beth Shak Owes
Beth Shak wrote “nonrefundable” on the $10,000 check to Krum, so a court would rule she has to honor that payment. The pay for the $5000 to the LA-based lawyer also might be difficult to retrieve. The remaining money would seem to be exorbitant, but perhaps the pro poker player’s resources (and her ex-husband’s) are such that the legal bills are reasonable.
One thing is certain: such a case cannot be good publicity for Mark Jay Krum. Another point should be made: it’s probably a bad idea to get legal advice from someone you meet on a blind date. Worse yet, a person probably should not hire their blind date to be their lawyer — at least not on the first or second date.
As the Beth Shak v. Mark Jay Krum case unfolds, USPokerSites will provide updates.
