Thanks to the proliferation of everything from smartphones and wireless internet to social media and 24-hour cable news networks, we now receive more in-depth coverage of certain events than we ever thought possible. While this phenomenon has served to keep us more informed and more involved, it’s also made certain individuals household names.
While this certainly the case for politicians, pundits, authors, actors and athletes, it’s also true for attorneys. By way of example, consider celebrated civil rights attorney Gloria Allred, who has become well known for her handling of high-profile and controversial employment discrimination cases.
Interestingly enough, Allred made headlines of a different variety this week after being hit with a lawsuit accusing her and fellow attorneys at her firm of legal malpractice, fraud by intentional misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, negligent misrepresentation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The lawsuit was filed by a former Southern California meteorologist, who originally retained Allred’s firm to represent him in an employment discrimination case back in 2012. Specifically, he accused an L.A.-based CBS affiliate of passing him over and hiring only younger women to work as weathercasters “in order to induce more men to watch their prime time newscasts.”
In his complaint, he accuses Allred of secretly negotiating a television deal with CBS for a drama inspired by her life story during her representation — something that he contends created a conflict of interest.
He also accuses her and her fellow attorneys of failing to provide affidavits and interview witnesses, something that he argues ultimately resulted in his defeat in trial court and an order to pay $800,000 in attorney fees.
He is seeking $1 million in damages.
For her part, Allred and her firm have vigorously denied any wrongdoing, asserting that they advanced the case through every level of the state courts, including two petitions for reviews by the California Supreme Court, and represented him with “devotion and the utmost integrity.”
Stay tuned for updates …
Consider speaking with a skilled legal professional if you believe that you’ve been victimized by some manner of legal malpractice.