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Kevin Morris (businessman)

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Kevin Morris (born July 17, 1963) is an American lawyer, producer, and writer.

Education edit

Morris graduated from Cornell University in 1985 with a B.A. in Government and spent a semester at the London School of Economics.[1] He attended law school at New York University, where he received a J.D. in 1988.[1] He later said that he studied law "because I wanted to know what the rules were, so I could break them."[2]

Career edit

Morris is the founder and managing partner of the Morris Yorn Entertainment Law Firm,[3] which represents major American media figures such as Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Matthew McConaughey, Mike Judge, Ellen DeGeneres, Scarlett Johansson, Zoe Saldana, Liam Hemsworth, Zach Galifianakis, Chris Rock, and Laura Linney.[4] He produced the 1997 documentary film Hands on a Hard Body, and co-produced the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon for which he won a Tony Award.[5] He is also known for brokering the TV show South Park.[6]

His articles on media and entertainment have appeared in The Wall Street Journal,[7] Los Angeles Times,[8] and Filmmaker Magazine.[5] His first collection of short stories, White Man's Problems, was released by Grove Atlantic's Black Cat imprint in January 2015, while his first novel, All Joe Knight, was published by Grove Atlantic in December 2016.

Biden Bribery Allegations edit

In 2024, it came to light that Morris had passed more than $6.5 million to Hunter Biden, son of president Joe Biden, in the form of loans, payment for artwork, and favors.[9] Morris paid more than $875,000 for Hunter Biden's artwork and gave him flights on his private jet.[10] After Morris testified in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, there were calls for his disbarment and further investigation.[11][12][13]

Personal life edit

Morris grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia as the son of a refinery worker and a school secretary.[14][dead link] At Cornell, he played for the junior varsity basketball team as a walk-on, was president of the Sigma Pi fraternity chapter, and a Cornell Tradition Scholar.[15] After graduating from law school at NYU, Morris moved to LA[4] where he began his career in entertainment law by handling the contracts of independent filmmakers before founding Morris Yorn Barnes & Levine in 1995.[15] He currently resides in Los Angeles.[5] He is a member of the board of directors of the jklivin foundation[1] and has been a member of the Cornell University Council since 2011.

The New York Times reported in May 2022 that Morris met Hunter Biden at a December 2019 fundraiser for the presidential campaign of Biden's father, Joe Biden. The younger Biden was at the time under federal criminal investigation for his tax matters and dealing with personal struggles. Morris became a confidant to Hunter Biden, lending him more than $2 million to cover family expenses and pay back taxes.[16]

Morris was questioned in a closed-door interview by the Comer investigation of the Biden family on January 18, 2024. The interview transcript was not immediately released, but Comer later that day said in a statement that Morris's financial relationship with Biden "raises ethical and campaign finance concerns," alleging it was intended to "insulate then-presidential candidate Joe Biden from political liability." Comer continued, "Morris admitted he has 'loaned' the president's son at least $5 million. These 'loans' don't have to be repaid until after the next presidential election and the 'loans' may ultimately be forgiven." Morris's attorney quickly wrote Comer that the statement contained several inaccuracies, asserting that the loans were reviewed by attorneys for both men and included "proper loan terms such as interest and a term." The attorney wrote that Morris repeatedly testified he fully expected the loans to be repaid and did not say they would be forgiven. Morris's attorney wrote Comer that at the start of his client's testimony he had "specifically pointed out the practice of Republicans in making partial leaks of witness' statements rather than releasing the actual transcript so the public would know the truth and not your often inaccurate spin and misstatements." In a statement, Morris said, "Here's what they do: They bring up something totally innocuous and legal, get nowhere with it, and they run to the cameras and make spooky noises. What they do has an elementary school quality to it." A committee spokesperson said the transcript would support Comer's statemment upon its later release.[17][18]

Writing edit

Morris has written articles on media and entertainment for The Wall Street Journal,[7] the Los Angeles Times,[8] Filmmaker Magazine,[5] and The Jerusalem Post.[19] He has also written reviews and criticism for The Huffington Post.[20] In 2014, he published White Man's Problems, a collection of short stories. Kirkus Reviews called it a "mordantly funny take on a modern predicament."[21] In 2016, Morris published a novel, All Joe Knight, which was long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and named as the Amazon Best Book of the Month in Literature and Fiction for December 2016. USA Today called it "a two-fisted debut novel," while Esquire called it "a remarkable and agonizing portrayal of a middle-aged man who doesn't know what's become of his life, and doesn't seem to care."[22]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Board of Directors" "jklivin foundation" Beverly Hills, 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  2. ^ "Kevin Morris - The Hollywood Reporter". web.archive.org. 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  3. ^ “Entertainment Law Firm Announces Addition of Three Attorneys to its Letterhead, Resulting in the New Name, "Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein & Kohner” "Business Wire". Los Angeles, 16 February 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  4. ^ a b Halbfinger, David. [1] "Rewriting Hollywood's Rules" "New York Times" New York, 10 September 2007. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d “The Author” "kevinmorrisauthor.com" Los Angeles, 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  6. ^ Vogel, Kenneth (May 10, 2022). "For Financial Help and Counsel, Hunter Biden Turns to Hollywood Lawyer". The New York Times. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Morris, Kevin. “Hollywood Showdown” Wall Street Journal, New York, 16 May 2007. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  8. ^ a b Morris, Kevin. “Curtains For The Guilds” Los Angeles Times 20 December 2007. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  9. ^ "Wake Up Call: Lawyer Kevin Morris Examined for Hunter Biden Aid". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  10. ^ Herridge, Catherine; Kaplan, Michael (2024-01-23). "Kevin Morris' loans to Hunter Biden totaled $6.5 million, $1.6 million more than previous estimate - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  11. ^ "Comer Statement on Transcribed Interview with Kevin Morris". United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. 2024-03-28. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  12. ^ Bartram, Darin R. "Opinion | Hunter Biden, Kevin Morris and Lawyers' Ethics". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  13. ^ "Hunter Biden Kevin Morris". New York Times. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  14. ^ The Hollywood Reporter Staff. "Power Lawyers 2012" "The Hollywood Reporter" Los Angeles, 18 July 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  15. ^ a b Herzog, Brad. "The Deal Maker" Cornell Alumni Magazine, Ithaca, 19 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  16. ^ Kenneth P. Vogel; Michael S. Schmidt (May 10, 2022). "For Financial Help and Counsel, Hunter Biden Turns to Hollywood Lawyer". The New York TImes.
  17. ^ Paula Reid; Annie Grayer (January 19, 2024). "Hunter Biden lawyer Kevin Morris said Republicans misrepresented his own testimony with 'elementary school quality'". CNN.
  18. ^ Rebecca Beitsch; Emily Brooks (January 19, 2024). "Attorney for Hunter Biden's benefactor accuses House GOP of misrepresenting testimony". The Hill.
  19. ^ Morris, Kevin & Altschuler, Glenn. “A Supposedly Fun Thing He’ll Never Do Again” "The Jerusalem Post" Los Angeles, 10 September 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  20. ^ “Blog Entries By Kevin Morris and Glenn Altschuler "The Huffington Post" New York, 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  21. ^ Kirkus Reviews. “White Man’s Problems” "Kirkus Reviews" New York, 18 March 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  22. ^ Morris, Kevin (6 December 2016). All Joe Knight: A Novel. Grove Press. ISBN 978-0802125781.

External links edit

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