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Tony Buzbee

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Tony Buzbee
Born
Anthony Glenn Buzbee

(1968-06-01) June 1, 1968 (age 56)
Atlanta, Texas, U.S.
EducationTexas A&M University,
College Station (BS)
University of Houston (JD)
Spouses
Zoe Benson
​
​
(m. 1991; div. 2017)​
Frances Moody
​
(m. 2021)​
Children4
WebsiteOfficial website

Anthony Glenn Buzbee is an American lawyer and political figure. In 2019, Buzbee ran for mayor of Houston, Texas,[1] but lost to incumbent Sylvester Turner. He also ran for Houston City Council in 2023, but lost to incumbent Mary Nan Huffman.

Early life and education

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Buzbee grew up in Atlanta, Texas, on a farm with his parents and three siblings.[2] Buzbee earned a B.S. in psychology from Texas A&M University and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center.[3] Buzbee was the Battalion Commander of the NROTC Midshipman Battalion and a member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.[4]

Career

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He began his legal career as an attorney at Susman Godfrey LLP in Houston. In 2000, he founded the Buzbee Law Firm.

Buzbee appeared on the cover of The New York Times magazine in November 2010 regarding his role in the litigation against BP following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The article described him as "one of the most successful trial lawyers in Texas".[5] In 2017, Buzbee represented the family of a victim of an oil rig explosion.[6] As of April 6, 2021, Buzbee represents at least twenty-one clients alleging sexual misconduct against NFL Quarterback Deshaun Watson.[7][8][9] In 2021, Buzbee filed a $750 million lawsuit against rapper Travis Scott on behalf of 120 victims who died or were injured during the Astroworld Festival crowd crush.[10]

Buzbee is also a property developer.[11] He owns Buzbee Properties, a real-estate firm focused on various suburbs in the Greater Houston area. He also owns some properties in Florida.[12]

In 2023, Buzbee was brought on to lead the legal team representing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial before the Texas Senate.[13][14][15]

In 2023, Buzbee and Washington Ho started a line of THC-infused seltzers named HoBuzz.[16]

Buzbee was the lead trial attorney for Rebecca Grossman, who was convicted of second-degree murder in Los Angeles in 2024 after a 2020 hit-and-run that killed two brothers. He argued that former professional baseball pitcher Scott Erickson had struck the children first while racing Grossman.[17][18]

Involvement in Sean Combs and Shawn Carter sexual misconduct allegations

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Main article: Sean Combs sexual misconduct allegations

In 2024, Buzbee began representing more than 50 plaintiffs in lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by Sean "Diddy" Combs.[19] The same year, a prominent celebrity figure filed a lawsuit against Buzbee and his firm in connection with the Combs lawsuits. The lawsuit claims that Buzbee was "shamelessly attempting to extort exorbitant sums from him," while threatening a lawsuit packed with "entirely fabricated and malicious allegations of sexual assault — including multiple incidents of rape of a minor, both male and female — against Plaintiff if he refuses to comply with their demands."[20][21]

In December 2024, one of the lawsuits originally filed against Combs was refiled to include Shawn Carter, known as Jay-Z, as a defendant. The lawsuit alleges that both Combs and Carter were involved in the rape of a 13-year-old girl in 2000.[22] On December 18, 2024, Buzbee filed a lawsuit against Carter's company Roc Nation, law firm Quinn Emanuel-which employs Carter's attorneys- and others, claiming that these parties were attempting to sway his clients into suing him and his firm The Buzbee Law Firm.[23] According to Buzbee, Roc Nation paid off some of his former cilents to file bogus lawsuits, while Quinn Emanuel orchestrated the scheme.[24][23] Buzbee stated that he had, among other things, audio tapes proving his allegation against Roc Nation and Quinn Emanuel, and would provide the tapes as evidence.[23]

Politics

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In 2002, Buzbee unsuccessfully ran for the 24th district of the Texas State House as a Democrat, losing to Republican Larry Taylor by 17 points.[25][26] From August 2003 to April 2005, Buzbee was chair of the Galveston County Democratic Party.[27]

In 2012, Buzbee supported Rick Perry's presidential campaign with financial support and the use of his private jet. Buzbee also served as one of Perry's debate coaches.[28][29] In 2016, Buzbee hosted a fundraiser at his River Oaks mansion for then presidential candidate Donald Trump. Later on, following the release of the Access Hollywood tape, Buzbee disavowed Trump and stated his intention to write in veteran Dan Moran for president.[30] Subsequently, Buzbee gave $500,000 to Trump's inauguration committee.[31]

Houston mayoral run

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On October 30, 2018, Buzbee announced he would be running in the 2019 Houston mayoral election, challenging incumbent Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on a platform of universal pre-K, infrastructure improvement, crime reduction, and expanding access to 5G broadband.[32] On October 17, Turner accused Buzbee's campaign of running a "deepfake ad".[33] Following the November 5, 2019, election Buzbee garnered 28% of the vote, enough to make it into a runoff with Turner who had 47% of the vote in unofficial returns.[34] Buzbee lost to Turner in the runoff election.[35]

Houston City Council race

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On August 21, 2023, Buzbee filed to run for the Houston City Council seat for District G.[36] In the general election, Buzbee placed second with 41.31%, advancing to a runoff against incumbent Mary Huffman who earned 49.42% of the vote.[37] Buzbee lost the runoff to Huffman with the latter receiving a little over 56% of the vote.[38]

Personal life

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Buzbee married Zoe Benson in 1991, and they have four children together.[39] The marriage ended in divorce in 2017.[40] Buzbee became engaged to Frances Moody in 2020,[41] and they were married in 2021.[42]

In March 2016, Buzbee was arrested in Harris County on charges related to driving while intoxicated.[43][44] By December, the Harris County District Attorney had dismissed the case, though controversy ensued due to Buzbee completing a year-long probation program in just eight months and his previous financial contributions to the District Attorney's 2014 election campaign.[45][46]

The following year, Buzbee garnered public attention for parking a fully operational World War II-era Sherman M4A4 tank, named "Cheyenne," on Houston's River Oaks Boulevard. This incident led to a series of parking citations and a conflict with the River Oaks Property Owners' Association, resulting in the tank's eventual relocation to Texarkana.[47]

In February 2021, while Buzbee's River Oaks home was under renovations and he stayed at the Four Seasons and Post Oak Hotel in Houston, he decided to sleep on the streets during an Arctic storm to "prove a point and raise awareness".[48]

References

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  1. ^ Carey, Isiah (October 30, 2018). "Attorney Tony Buzbee announces campaign for mayor of Houston". Fox 26. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  2. ^ Price, Asher (September 17, 2014). "Tony Buzbee, big-city lawyer with small-town roots, leads Perry team". Austin Statesman. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "Tony Buzbee, '97, named Texas Lawyer's '2015 Attorney of the Year'". UHLC. November 5, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  4. ^ https://www.txamfoundation.com/News/Friendswood-Couple-Commits-3-million-to-Texas-AM-University-Corps-of-Cadets.aspx&ved=2ahUKEwit0YX2ycL6AhX1GDQIHU-AAfEQFnoECCEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1tA-uKJfJEGZoWylAWDyb4 [bare URL]
  5. ^ McCollam, Douglas (November 4, 2010). "The Other Oil Cleanup". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  6. ^ "Big-name lawyer apparently sues wrong companies". Houston Chronicle. November 11, 2017.
  7. ^ Robinson, Charles (March 17, 2021). "Alleged details emerge in sexual assault suit against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson". Yahoo Sports.com. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  8. ^ TMZ Sports Staff (March 18, 2021). "Deshaun Watson Sexual Assault Accuser List Grows, Lawyer Claims 9 Women Coming Forward". TMZsports.com. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  9. ^ De la Fuente, Homero (March 19, 2021). "The number of women suing NFL star Deshaun Watson for alleged sexual assault grows to seven". CNN.com. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Ponder, Erica (November 17, 2021). "Tony Buzbee files $750M lawsuit on behalf of 120 victims of Astroworld Festival tragedy". Click2houston.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  11. ^ "Tony Buzbee Profile". The Buzbee Law Firm. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  12. ^ Newpher, Jim (September 13, 2011). "The Law and the Land: Attorney developer Tony Buzbee". The Friendswood Journal. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  13. ^ Weber, Paul J.; Bleiberg, Jake (June 7, 2023). "Texas' Ken Paxton hires prominent attorney for impeachment trial". AP News. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  14. ^ Goodman, J. David; Montgomery, David (September 12, 2023). "Titans of Texas Law Clash in Impeachment Trial of Ken Paxton". The New York Times. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Tony Buzbee says he will lead Ken Paxton's impeachment defense". Texas Tribune. June 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Sandler, Eric (August 28, 2023). "Houston celebs Washington Ho and Tony Buzbee pop open new THC seltzer". Culturemap Houston. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  17. ^ Lloyd, Jonathan; Leong, Tracey; Service • •, City News (June 10, 2024). "Burn foundation co-founder Rebecca Grossman sentenced in crash that killed 2 boys". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  18. ^ "Rebecca Grossman's attorney: 'This is an accident. This is not a crime'". Daily News. February 22, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  19. ^ McClenagan, Kyle (September 27, 2024). "Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee to represent over 50 clients in new Diddy sexual assault lawsuit". Houston Public Media. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  20. ^ "Prominent Man Sues Lawyer for Diddy Accusers, Claiming Extortion". TMZ. November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  21. ^ "Mystery L.A. celebrity says lawyer for accusers of Sean 'Diddy' Combs tried to extort a payout". Los Angeles Times. November 19, 2024.
  22. ^ "Jay-Z accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 along with Sean 'Diddy' Combs". NBC News. December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c Wagemeister, Elizabeth (December 18, 2024). "Tony Buzbee sues Jay-Z's Roc Nation for allegedly soliciting his clients to file 'frivolous' lawsuits against his firm". CNN. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  24. ^ Vasquez, Lucio (December 18, 2024). "Attorney Tony Buzbee says Jay-Z's company paid former clients to file bogus lawsuits against him". Houston Public Media. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  25. ^ Najmabadi, Shannon (October 31, 2018). "Boisterous attorney, political donor Tony Buzbee says he's running for Houston mayor in 2019". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  26. ^ "DISTRICT ELECTION ANALYSIS". August 20, 2004. Archived from the original on August 20, 2004. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  27. ^ Aulds, T. J. (April 9, 2005). "Buzbee steps down as head of county Dems". The Daily News. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  28. ^ Holley, Joe (November 15, 2011). "Could Perry have sabotaged himself?". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  29. ^ Maremont, Mark (October 20, 2011). "Campaign to Pony Up for Flight Costs". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  30. ^ Fikac, Peggy (October 26, 2016). "Former Perry lawyer, Tony Buzbee, is done with Trump 'completely' - ExpressNews.com". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  31. ^ Sapino Jeffreys, Brenda (April 26, 2017). "Houston Lawyer Tony Buzbee Donated $500,000 to Trump's Inauguration Committee". Texas Lawyer. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  32. ^ Swartz, Mimi (September 9, 2019). "Could a Loud, Rich, and Scandal-Prone Personal Injury Lawyer Win Control of Houston?". Texas Monthly. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  33. ^ "Sylvester Turner calls for investigation into Tony Buzbee ad, citing 'deepfake fake' law". Houston Chronicle. October 18, 2019.
  34. ^ "Sylvester Turner to face Tony Buzbee in runoff for Houston mayor". Texas Tribune. November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  35. ^ "Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner claims easy reelection win in runoff". Texas Tribune. December 15, 2019.
  36. ^ Svitek, Patrick (August 21, 2023). "Tony Buzbee, lawyer for Ken Paxton, running for Houston City Council seat". The Texas Tribune.
  37. ^ Svitek, Patrick (November 8, 2023). "Tony Buzbee, Mary Nan Huffman advance to runoff for Houston City Council race". The Texas Tribune.
  38. ^ "Tony Buzbee". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  39. ^ Bassler, Ilene (May 10, 2019). "Houston's star attorney Tony Buzbee loves battling behemoths". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  40. ^ Scherer, Jasper (September 20, 2019). "Tony Buzbee loves a good fight. He hopes voters do, too". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  41. ^ "Tony Buzbee pops the question to Frances Moody on private yacht on her birthday". HoustonChronicle.com. July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  42. ^ Hodge, Shelby (August 8, 2022). "Houston Super Lawyer Sings With a Country Music Star, Throws His Wife the Sweetest Bday Bash — This Is Tony Buzbee In Love". PaperCity Magazine. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  43. ^ "Prominent Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee charged with DWI". Houston Chronicle. May 5, 2016.
  44. ^ Rogers, Brian (March 6, 2017). "Prominent attorney may land back in court over expunged DWI case". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  45. ^ Flynn, Meagan (December 19, 2016). "DA Anderson Personally Dismisses DWI Case Against Prominent Houston Attorney". Houston Press. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  46. ^ "Lawyers group questions Houston attorney's DWI dismissal". Albuquerque Journal. Associated Press. December 22, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  47. ^ Lomax, John Nova (October 29, 2017). "The Complete Story of the River Oaks Tank". Texas Monthly. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  48. ^ Elliott, Amber (February 18, 2021). "Tony Buzbee sleeps on Houston streets during Arctic storm, then returns to luxury hotel". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
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