Representing celebrity clients, I sued an individual and his corporation for using my clients’ name and likeness in a commercial activity without their consent. The individual defendant hired a very bad lawyer who concealed from me during discovery that his client had sold the company before I named him as a defendant. Had I known this I most likely would not have pursued this claim against him personally but only after the entity that bought the company from this individual.
Well into the litigation, I obtained a copy of the sales agreement over this bad lawyer’s objection. As soon as I learned this individual sold the company I dismissed him from the lawsuit. I then obtained a handsome settlement from the successors to his company.
After this case settlement, this bad lawyer sued my clients for malicious prosecution claiming his client spent about $17,000 in attorney fees in the underlying case.
I filed an anti-SLAPP motion. The court threw out his case and now I can seek attorney fees. I have a motion pending for $42,000 in attorney fees.
This bad lawyer caused this trouble for his client because he really did not know what he was doing. I suspect this client will end up suing the bad lawyer for legal malpractice.