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Ethics
Lawyer accused of submitting class motion go well with at behest of litigation opponent
A California lawyer has been accused of submitting a category motion lawsuit that had been ready by a lawyer working for his litigation opponent after which accumulating legal professional charges when the case settled on phrases advantageous to the opponent. (Picture from Shutterstock)
A California lawyer has been accused of submitting a category motion lawsuit that had been ready by a lawyer working for his litigation opponent after which accumulating legal professional charges when the case settled on phrases advantageous to the opponent.
The State Bar of California filed a notice of disciplinary charges in opposition to California lawyer Michael Jacob Libman in a March 6 criticism, report Law360 and the Los Angeles Times.
The disciplinary prices allege that Libman was an area counsel within the class motion go well with ostensibly filed on behalf of identify plaintiff Antwon Jones, a utility buyer, in opposition to the Los Angeles Division of Water & Energy. The general public utility firm gives electrical energy and water to metropolis residents. The go well with was based mostly on billing errors that occurred after the adoption of a brand new billing system.
In actuality, the Jones go well with was ready by Paul Paradis, one in every of two legal professionals employed by town to sue PricewaterhouseCoopers, which had configured and applied the billing system, the ethics prices allege. The $67 million settlement settlement within the Jones go well with was additionally ready Paradis, in keeping with the ethics prices.
Libman was recruited as an area counsel by Paul Kiesel, the opposite lawyer employed to sue PricewaterhouseCoopers, the fees say. Paradis recruited an Ohio lawyer to be the lead counsel and reached an settlement for the Ohio lawyer to chill 20% of his legal professional charges to Paradis, the ethics criticism alleges. The Ohio lawyer has since died, in keeping with Law360.
Jones wasn’t conscious of the alleged collusion in his go well with in opposition to town, and neither was the decide who accredited a $1.65 million payment for Libman, the go well with says. In his payment request, Libman had falsely claimed to have labored on wage-and-hour class actions up to now, in keeping with the fees.
Libman was ordered in March 2021 to forfeit his legal professional charges. Libman didn’t obey court docket orders to show over detailed time information for the case and to reply deposition questions, the ethics prices say. He was present in contempt in August 2023, ordered to pay $1,000 for every act of contempt, and ordered to pay a $700 each day superb till he complies with court docket orders, the ethics prices say. Thus far, he has not complied.
The discover of prices alleges ethical turpitude, conflicts of curiosity and failure to obey court docket orders.
The Los Angeles Instances referred to as the ethics prices “the newest twist in a DWP corruption saga that largely centered on the position of the [Los Angeles] metropolis legal professional’s workplace and the way its legal professionals responded to litigation over a defective billing system.”
The Los Angeles Division of Water & Energy scandal led to responsible pleas by 4 folks, together with three metropolis staff, the article says. Libman was not charged within the scheme, however Paradis pleaded guilty to bribery, in keeping with a November 2021 U.S. Division of Justice press launch.
Libman’s authorized counsel offered an announcement on his behalf to Law360.
“I’m disillusioned that the state bar filed prices in opposition to me on this politicized [Los Angeles Department of Water & Power] case pushed by vindictive, corrupt and linked legal professionals bent on railroading me as a result of I’ve been exposing their corruption for the previous few years,” Libman stated.
“If I’ll get a good trial that enables me to current all of the proof, I will likely be totally vindicated and the true scale of the layers of corruption additional uncovered,” Libman stated. “I sit up for the general public trial, and I invite members of the media, bench and bar to come back watch.”
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