Bill Cosby hired high-stakes litigation law firm Greenberg Gross last week to represent him in a civil case stemming from accusations of sexual assault.

The downtown firm will represent Cosby in the case, which is slated to go to trial in December 2018 after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge in Santa Monica granted a continuance Sept. 13. The judge also approved Greenberg Gross Partner Alan Greenberg replacing Liner Partner Angela Agrusa as the attorney of record.

Liner, with offices in Westwood and downtown, announced a merger with international law firm DLA Piper in July, which can often create conflicts for attorneys.

Agrusa declined to comment on the civil suit substitution and whether it had to do with the merger, but she also withdrew as one of the attorneys on Cosby’s criminal case last month.

The criminal case, held in Norristown, Pa., charged Cosby with sexual assault. A trial ended with a mistrial in June, but is expected to be retried.

The civil case in Santa Monica proceeds separately from the criminal case. Civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred represents the plaintiff in the suit.

Greenberg and Wayne Gross co-founded Greenberg Gross after they won a $50.3 million jury verdict on a counterclaim in a lawsuit related to the development of the Hollywood Palladium.

–Henry Meier