Print this story |
E-mail story |
This story has 19 comments Add your own |
iPod friendly | Bookmark this
What is this?
Attorneys found guilty of fraud
Published Thursday, March 11, 2010
NATCHEZ — Two attorneys will have to pay back settlement money and pay additional punitive damages to Illinois Central Railroad for alleged fraudulent claims they filed in an asbestos settlement case.
A federal jury found that William Guy and Thomas Brock, both of McComb, filed claims for two men, Willie Harried and Warren Turner Jr., in an asbestos suit against the railroad.
However, Harried and Turner had reportedly already taken part in the 1995 asbestos-related legal action, Cosey v. E.D. Bullard Co., and the two men received compensation following a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs in that case.
If the men’s involvement in the 1995 case had been known, they would have been prohibited from participating in the suit against Illinois Central Railroad.
At trial, Harried and Turner reportedly told the jury that they told the two attorneys about their involvement in the 1995 case.
In the Illinois Central case, which was settled in 2002, Harried received a payment of $90,000 and Turner received a payment of $120,000.
The federal jury ruled that Guy and Brock must pay the railroad the combined $210,000 of the men’s settlement, and must pay the railroad $210,000 in punitive damages.
“Illinois Central is pleased that a Mississippi federal jury held these plaintiffs’ lawyers liable for fraud in asbestos claims against us,” said Karen Phillips, Vice President of Public and Government Affairs for Illinois Central, in a news release.
“Our company will continue to aggressively pursue all suspected fraud or litigation abuses.”
Comments
Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 12:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
William is a long time friend, BUT, and that's a big BUT, he is a lawyer also.
Posted by Sarge (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 12:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It doesn't pay to steal! No matter how much is stolen!
What goes around.....Comes around!
Posted by erohed (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 1:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Being out of town made for disguise.
Posted by colescreek (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 6:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What would happen to me if I stole $200,000 from the government? Would I ever see the light of day again? At least these two had to give back what they took. Lawyers steal more money than all the other crooks combined. And they do it legally by the laws that other lawyers wrote. Wouldn't you like to hear their arguement with St. Peter on the difference in what they have done and a "normal" crook?
Posted by formernatres (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 7:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So what do these briefcase carrying buzzards get for their ill gotten gains? Does the saga end here?
Posted by fraidoclowns (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 7:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
No kidding. Why aren't criminal charges being filed? If they'd shoplifted from a 7-11 they'd have been jailed. This is bigger and just as egregious. More so.
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 8:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
JAIL TIME AFTER THE PAYBACK. 5 YEARS
Lawyers need some jail love, too!
Posted by cchat123 (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 8:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
They will be disbared and restricted to practice law.
Posted by thewayitis (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 9:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Unfortunately, Mr Guy and the other plaintiff lawyer will have no problem paying the $400,000 they have been ordered to pay. They have made millions of dollars suing big business, small business, insurance companies and anyone else they could; supposedly on behalf of the "little guy". Plaintiff attorneys and weak minded juries have set Mississipppi back one hundred years. This is just the tip of the iceberg. This is typical of why the average citizen should be fearful to be a defendant in a civil hearing in southwest Mississippi;specifically, Claiborne, Jefferson, Wilkinson, and now Adams counties.
Posted by LOVESNATCHEZ (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 10:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, I can't say I'm surprised; and that's the shame of it.
Posted by james (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 2:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
99% LAWYERS GIVE THE OTHER 1% A BAD NAME !
Posted by Bone (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 2:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, this is what you get when you steal. I agree if that had been anybody else; they would have been sentence to 50 yrs. Let’s see how many more are going to be uncovered? I will be glad when Mike Moore, Jim Hood, Phil Bryant and some of the other in the long BLACK robes get their day in court. Oh what a time. Because dog got a DAY. I will never believe that they told their lawyers that they were already involved in a case. I will never believe that.
Posted by nationsborn (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 4:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hip Hip Hooray for the jury. I agree with their verdict.
Posted by been_there (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 5:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Don't you find it strange that not a single lawyer has commented on this article?
Posted by natashakubelikov (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 9:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It,s just one scam they stopped...They will continue on like nothing happened.
Posted by RTSJR2 (anonymous) on March 11, 2010 at 9:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Finally a lawyer has to pay back a court.
Posted by Cuthbert (anonymous) on March 12, 2010 at 9:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lawyers? Fraud? Surely you jest.
Posted by cbjcbj (anonymous) on March 12, 2010 at 10:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow! Im am really suprised to read all of these comments when no one on this page knows any of the facts of the case OR the 2 attorneys involved other than a snappy sounding headline. I also LOVE how "Plaintiff attorneys" are talked so badly about UNTIL it is your family member that had died or is dying from asbestos related cancer. Oh, then you will all of a sudden LOVE a good plaintiff attorney. Want to know the real criminal in these cases? The railroad who knowingly let their employees work in that environment and hid the fact that they were working in asbestos!!!!!!!!! There is proof of this as well which is WHY so many plainfiffs have recieved settlements over the years. We are talking about thousands of cases settled. Hm, makes the railroad sound really innocent to me......RIGHT! There is also proof that these 2 attorneys were NOT told of the previous cases that these men were involved in and have the proof of that as well through paperwork and depositions. So thank you all for bashing someone so quickly from your all so perfect high horse! Those 2 men who were involved in previous cases knew better but got money hungry and now 2 great and sucessful attorneys that have always had a great reputation of being great men in their community are having to pay. I happen to know both attorneys and can say that I have never known one single lie, or malicious comment ever to come out of their mouths about any other human! Unlike the people commenting out of jealousy on this page.
So just a reminder before you all go bashing people, first learn all of the facts before you make an idiot of yourself!!!!!! You should all be ashamed.
Posted by hestheking (anonymous) on March 12, 2010 at 9:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I know both of these guys, and like cbjcbj, I have a hard time believing that they knowingly represented the doubledippers. The industries that expose their employees to dangerous conditions like asbestos do it betting that the employees who get sick will not be able to afford the litigation to prove the employer knowingly allowed the condition to continue. Only by combining a large number of the cases that are factually similar can the litigants/lawyers afford to carry the trials to Court against the huge corporations. In these cases, the trial lawyers are so focused on proving the science of their case so they can establish liability, they are usually not very involved with the individual litigants. Most of the communication with the litigants is done by a paralegal who is gathering the proof of the damages. If a potential client lies about being included in a previous case, the lawyer would not have any way of knowing it.
If the railroad had already paid these guys once, in this age of computerization, how did they let the claims be processed again? Do they have that much money? Have they hurt that many people? Or maybe, have they been beaten so many times by these fine lawyers that they decided to get rid of them by setting the lawyers up for a fall? HMMMM, let me think.
Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
(Requires free registration.)