Tony Buzbee Sued by Former Client for Holding Huge Chunk of Settlement

12/10/24 2:55 PM PT -- Tony Buzbee has now specifically addressed Matthew Thompson's allegations, telling TMZ ... "Mr. Thompson was solicited and paid to bring this case. It has no merit. The lawyers who brought it would have seen that had they bothered to do any due diligence at all. In his suit, Thompson claims our firm failed to forward to him payments made by his former employer. That’s patently untrue. His employer refused to make any such payments to him. He claims the fees weren’t explained. That’s also patently false. He signed a contract that clearly sets forth the fees.  He claims that the expenses weren’t explained. Again, patently false. He signed an affidavit at settlement agreeing to the expenses and acknowledging they were explained. Finally, Thompson’s claim that the firm took more than the contractual fee is patently false. He signed an affidavit stating that all was done correctly. The bottom line is that the investigators who manufactured this case and the lawyers who filed it were reckless and foolish. The case is junk and the effort behind it will be exposed."

12/10/24 1:40 PM PT -- Tony Buzbee tells TMZ … "Jay-Z’s investigators contacted more than forty former clients they apparently found on Venmo. They each were offered $1000 to sue me. We have the investigators caught on tape admitting they gave this 'client' money to bring this case. We will be seeking state bar action against the lawyers involved because such conduct is a state law crime and also violates the ethical rules that govern lawyers. The case itself is frivolous and will be dismissed as such."

Jay-Z isn't the only one targeting attorney Tony Buzbee in court -- a former client claims Buzbee acted more like his loan shark than his lawyer in a personal injury case.

Directly on the heels of Jay-Z's scorching attack on Buzbee, Matthew Ray Thompson Jr. is now unloading on him ... filing a federal lawsuit Monday against his ex-attorney. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Thompson says he was injured in July 2023 while working as a deckhand on a vessel that struck a barge in the Houston Ship Channel.

He says he retained Buzbee, who filed a lawsuit on his behalf in November 2023, which triggered automatic payments to Thompson -- from his employer -- while his lawsuit was pending.

But in the suit, Thompson claims those payments were delivered directly to Buzbee's firm, and then Buzbee gave him disbursements ... with one very expensive catch.

Thompson alleges Buzbee loaned him his own funds, and to add insult to injury, also charged him a high interest rate. He claims Buzbee held back more than 60% of the money he was owed -- and he alleges Buzbee has a rep for pulling this move with other clients, as well.

While Buzbee's former client doesn't make reference to Diddy or Jay-Z by name, Thompson does paint a picture of Buzbee that's similar to the claims Jay made Sunday in his scathing statement.

Thompson says, "Buzbee has become rich by milking settlements with threats of negative attention from people who rely on their public reputations for livelihood."

We've reached out to Buzbee for comment, but no word back yet.