State Bar of California Investigates Prominent Law Firm in $4-Billion Sex Abuse Settlement
The State Bar of California has launched an investigation into Downtown LA Law Group, a prominent law firm representing thousands of sex abuse victims in a record $4-billion settlement, according to court filings made public on January 21. The investigation, which is also the subject of a criminal probe, was detailed in a January 20 court motion filed by attorneys for Los Angeles County.
Background of the Investigation
The county agreed to the historic payout in the spring to settle thousands of claims of sex abuse inside juvenile halls and foster homes. The latest court filing by the county asks Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff for permission to give the State Bar confidential case documents related to sex abuse clients represented by Downtown LA Law Group. The county said the State Bar had subpoenaed the documents as part of its ongoing probe into the firm.
The county included a series of investigations by the Los Angeles Times as exhibits, citing reporting that found nine clients represented by the firm who said they were paid by recruiters to sue the county. Four said they were told to make up their claims of abuse. The firm has denied all wrongdoing and stated that it “categorically does not engage in, nor has it ever condoned, the exchange of money for client retention.”
State Bar’s Request for Documents
The State Bar served a subpoena on the county on November 4, requesting thousands of documents related to the roughly 2,700 sex abuse victims represented by Downtown LA Law Group. The bar asked for three batches of documents — lawsuits, detailed descriptions of the abuse, and certificates from mental health professionals, which is a requirement for older victims under state law.
The county turned over the lawsuits but said the other documents were covered by a protective order. The county’s motion stated, “The County is placed in an untenable position. It possesses confidential materials that are sought by the State Bar in order to investigate serious allegations of potential attorney misconduct, but cannot produce them.”
Implications of the Investigation
Payments to sex abuse victims in the settlement are expected to range from $150,000 to $3 million. The payments were initially anticipated to start in January, but have been delayed in part due to new scrutiny of Downtown LA Law Group’s caseload. The county appointed a judge to conduct an extra level of vetting of the firm’s cases, which must be completed before any money goes out the door.
The State Bar investigation comes as the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office continues its own probe into the firm as part of a larger investigation into fraud within the sex abuse litigation. District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced in November that he had launched an investigation into claims that plaintiffs made up stories of abuse.
For more information on this ongoing investigation, visit Here
Image Source: www.latimes.com
