In Texas, to name one state, it’s perfectly legal for lawyers pursuing personal injury claims to advance money to their clients to cover living expenses. (At common law, the practice was banned under the rubric of “maintenance”.) So when Kelvin Johnson came around with a story about how he and a friend had been injured on an oil rig and how the friend was lying in a coma and had been offered a hefty settlement, it seemed like pretty much a sure thing to slip him some money. Trouble is, Johnson was pulling the scam with numerous lawyers under various names. A Corpus Christi practitioner explained why he was suspicious of what seemed the “perfect case”: “I didn’t think it likely that his friend could be in a coma 10 months without some lawyer signing him up.” Johnson has been sentenced to 20 years. (Rick Casey, “Selling lawyers a lucrative tale”, Houston Chronicle, Jun. 22) (via Texas Law Blog).
Texas lawyers fall victim to scam
In Texas, to name one state, it’s perfectly legal for lawyers pursuing personal injury claims to advance money to their clients to cover living expenses. (At common law, the practice was banned under the rubric of “maintenance”.) So when Kelvin Johnson came around with a story about how he and a friend had been injured […]
Comments are closed.