JPMorgan ordered to keep paying Charlie Javices legal bills, topping $70M

JPMorgan Chase has been ordered to keep paying convicted fraudster Charlie Javice‘s legal bills, with a Delaware judge rejecting the banking giant’s bid to halt what it called “astronomical” defense costs that have now topped $70 million.Delaware Chancery Court Magistrate Judge Christian Wright said in his ruling on Thursday that JPMorgan failed to meet its “challenging burden” of proving that Javice’s legal fees were “so unmistakably unreasonable or clearly abusive” that they could only have resulted from bad faith.The decision requires JPMorgan to continue advancing roughly $10.1 million in disputed legal fees incurred by Javice between January and September 2025.Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Javice is seeking a presidential pardon as she seeks to overturn her March 2025 conviction for defrauding JPMorgan into paying $175 million for Frank, the college financial-aid startup she founded.The bank also sought to stop paying the legal fees of former Frank chief growth officer Olivier Amar, who was convicted alongside Javice and sentenced to 68 months in prison.Wright rejected that request, too, ruling JPMorgan must continue advancing approximately $11.3 million in Amar’s disputed legal fees covering a similar period.The latest ruling means JPMorgan remains on the hook for legal costs that now exceed $70 million for Javice alone and more than $136 million combined for her and Amar, according to court filings.JPMorgan argued that the costs had spiraled out of control and sought to end its obligation to bankroll Javice’s defense under advancement rights stemming from its 2021 acquisition of Frank.The dispute has featured some eyebrow-raising accusations by JPMorgan over what it says were lavish charges buried in Javice’s legal bills.In separate court filings unsealed last year, the bank claimed defense lawyers sought reimbursement for $530 worth of gummy bears, more than $3,000 in first-class airfare, a $581 dinner that include...