Billy Bush isn’t messing around in his NBC fight: He just hired a big-time lawyer who’s repped Steven Spielberg and other Hollywood heavyweights.
Bush, who is officially on suspension from NBC’s “Today” after a lewd 2005 videotape leaked of him interviewing Donald Trump, has hired Marshall Grossman, a famed Los Angeles litigator known for handling celebrity problems as well as complex cases involving Apple Computer and other big corporate clients, according to a person close to the situation.
Grossman has advised J.K. Rowling, Larry King and Clint Eastwood, among others, according to published reports.
A call and email to Grossman were not immediately returned on Thursday.
The move likely means that Bush isn’t going quietly in the battle over his job, where he pulled down a reported $3 million per year.
Earlier this week, the longtime TV host and “Access Hollywood” alum hired Davidson Goldin, a crisis-communication expert, to help tell his story in the media.
Although NBC bosses knew about the tape for days before it was leaked last week, they did not discipline Bush until headlines stirred outrage over his dialog with Trump.
Grossman is a partner in the downtown Los Angeles law firm of Orrick. He led the legal team that helped defend the accounting firm Arthur Andersen in its securities fraud defense related to the implosion of the now-defunct energy giant Enron.