Fraud, Sabotage Claims Over Chicago Bears' Anti-White Discrimination Settlement Payout

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears agreed to pay out a confidential settlement to a white male law student who claimed to have suffered race and sex discrimination, but the legal battle did not end there.

Jonathan Bresser, the DePaul student who settled the suit last month, was accused of fraud and sabotage by his former employer, Marc Trent, in a dispute over the proceeds from the settlement.

As Patch previously reported, Bresser sued the NFL team in March, alleging that a "legal diversity fellowship" offered by its law department discriminated against white men because it listed among its qualifications being a "person of color and/or female law student."

The federal civil rights complaint, filed on behalf of the Schaumburg resident by Trent's Oakbrook Terrace-based law firm, demanded $600,000, citing violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Illinois Human Rights Act.

Court records show the attorneys for Bresser and the Bears hammered out a binding settlement agreement in August for an unspecified amount.

Even though Bresser signed an agreement with Trent Law Firm agreeing to pay a 40 percent contingency fee, he claimed they had made a verbal agreement to come up with some other deal.

But when he learned that Trent planned to collect the fee, the law student resigned from his job. And on Oct. 19, he terminated his representation with his former employer via email.

"Your conduct," Bresser told Trent, "specifically your intentional misrepresentations made to me regarding our relationship by telling me to 'sign a form engagement agreement' and 'we'd work something out', was patently unethical and can be independently corroborated by several witnesses to the conversation."

Trent, in turn, accused Bresser of trying to cheat him out of his fees. He responded by announcing that he looked forward to arguing the matter with the aspiring attorney in court.

"Apparently, the mentorship continues. I cannot speak on behalf of the Court, but I don't think the arrogant, condescending tone coming from a law student will be held in a positive light by the Court. I also doubt falsely accusing me of misrepresentations and illegal conduct will be taken very well," Trent said. "Most importantly, your actions of trying to swindle your attorney out of fees right before distribution will probably not be taken in a positive light. Especially by someone who wants to become an attorney."

Trent then filed motions to block the Bears from paying out Bresser's settlement, announcing plans to file a lawsuit against him and his wife in state court.

"The state court action includes claims for breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent misrepresentation, conspiracy, and other wrongful acts committed by Bresser during his employment," it said.

According to Trent, Bresser deleted "critical digital files" and changed passwords on his computer systems at his firm's office, including all files and a retainer agreement in the Bears lawsuit.

The law student was also accused of racking up so many fees buying court documents that the office's account was deactivated.

"During discussions with colleagues, Bresser alluded to his financial difficulties and his anticipation of the settlement payout, suggesting a possible motive for terminating Trent Law Firm’s representation to retain a larger share of the settlement proceeds for himself," Trent alleged.

In November, Trent and Bresser held an off-the-record conference before the judge in the case and reached an agreement to resolve their dispute. And last month, Bresser filed paperwork to voluntarily dismiss the suit.

Neither Bresser, Trent nor representatives of the Bears responded to requests for comment this week.

Read more: White Male Law Student Sues Chicago Bears For Race, Sex Discrimination