Aaron Robertson watched medical bills pile up as he waited for his attorney, Ralph Preston King II of Ocean Springs, to settle a lawsuit over the truck crash that left Robertson with two ruptured discs.
King kept telling Robertson the matter hadn’t come up yet, Robertson said last week. The truck accident took place in 2014. King filed a lawsuit against Robertson in 2016.
“Ralph King kept telling me not to worry about it, it would all be settled with the settlement, so I had all these bills piling up thinking the settlement would pay for it,” Robertson said. at the Sun Herald. “He kept giving me hope, hoping that this would be resolved by a certain date.
King on Monday denied any wrongdoing.
King settled Robertson’s lawsuit and received an insurance check for $100,000 nearly three years ago, court records show. Yet King kept telling Robertson that the case had not yet been put on the court docket, Robertson said.
Robertson believes the last time he spoke to King was about a year and a half ago. Robertson said his understanding was that the case had still not been resolved. He finally decided he should ask another lawyer if the case was going to take that long.
The answer was “No”. Attorney Jay Foster, who has an office in Ocean Springs, said he felt bad for Robertson, a 31-year-old utility district operator and technician.
Foster is suing King in Jackson County Circuit Court, where a special judge, Steve Simpson, has been appointed to hear the case. Judges in Jackson County, where King has represented many clients, recused themselves to hear the lawsuit.
Lawyers usually receive a percentage of any settlement a client receives, but Robertson and his lawyer believe his share of the paycheck should have been $60,000 to $80,000.
King could not be reached last week for comment. The phone in his office in Ocean Springs is no longer in service. He is under administrative suspension from the Mississippi Bar Association for failing to pay his annual dues. His attorney, Sam Tucker of Ocean Spring, would not speak to the Sun Herald.
King called the Sun Herald on Monday, after hearing about the story, to deny any wrongdoing. He asked for a statement to be added to the story. King said:
“I categorically deny these allegations. My former client is very well aware that I could not release funds for him or me until all insurance liens are settled and satisfied.
“I guess he got impatient with the process and decided to make these allegations against me. They are false. I will be filing a motion to dismiss these charges in the coming days.”
King would not elaborate on his statement or answer questions about the insurance privileges he mentioned.
In June, King filed for emergency Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection so his vehicle wouldn’t be repossessed, according to a bankruptcy court filing.
King said he had assets of $100,000 to $500,000 and debt of up to $50,000. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy involves a repayment plan from the individual’s income.
The bankruptcy case was dismissed in July at King’s request after he failed to file necessary documents, including a table of his debts, a condition report and a Chapter 13 plan, records show. judicial.
In his lawsuit, Robertson seeks unspecified damages as compensation as well as punitive damages, court costs and attorneys’ fees.
“I still have a lot of unpaid bills,” Robertson said. “It’s been six years. There are no words to describe it. I’ve been putting up with this for so long. »
Robertson said he was still being treated for his back injuries and feared his salary would be garnished on medical bills he might have paid had he received his paycheck. He also loses any interest he might have earned on the money.
He has filed a complaint against King with the Mississippi Bar Association, which could result in King’s suspension or disbarment if the complaint is found to have merit.
Under state Supreme Court rules, complaints to the bar are confidential. Any formal action taken against King as a result of the complaint would be a public record.
The Mississippi Supreme Court has declared in more than one case that the theft of client funds is, for a lawyer, “a cardinal sin.”
This story was originally published November 18, 2019 5:00 a.m.
Comments are closed.