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A former attorney at McClenny Moseley & Associates, accused of misconduct while participating in his law firm’s filing of hundreds of hurricane damage lawsuits, lost his attorneys in a settlement with the Louisiana state agency last month. They agreed to suspend their qualifications for nine months. Disciplinary advisor.
Meanwhile, a Texas judge has issued a temporary restraining order against MMA that prohibits the law firm from spending or “wasting” funds pledged as collateral for a $30 million loan from a Florida hedge fund. approved.
The Louisiana Supreme Court voted 4-3 to approve the “consent discipline” the agency negotiated with Snowden. Judge Scott J. Crichton dissented because he felt the discipline was too lenient. Justice Jefferson Hughes dissented, saying the sanctions were too harsh, and Justice Jay B. McCollum dissented without giving reasons.
Snowden admitted that he violated the following Louisiana State Bar Code of Professional Ethics:
- Requires lawyers to be diligent.
- Requires lawyers to consult with clients and keep them properly informed.
- Fraud, fraud, deception or misrepresentation is prohibited.
- Actions that are harmful to the administration of justice are prohibited.
The Office of Disciplinary Counsel also indefinitely suspended the law license of R. William Huey, Snowden’s former boss and former managing partner of MMA’s New Orleans office. The department’s investigation was not complete as of Friday. Our New Orleans office has closed.
Insurance defense attorney Matthew Monson posted notices of both developments on his LinkedIn page last week, making it the go-to source for anyone interested in the latest developments in the MMA saga. Monzon is facing charges against him in a lawsuit alleging that MMA hired a marketing firm to send mass emails and text messages, some of which were addressed to Monzon’s wife, improperly soliciting customers. Acting as an agent for the wife of
In his post about Snowden, Monson said he had filed four complaints against disciplinary counsel against MMA Lawyers on behalf of his client.
“I would like to congratulate Mr. Snowden on coming clean, taking responsibility and accepting the consequences of his actions,” Monzon said. “He has been on the record in open court before and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. He did not engineer the MMA scheme.”
The restraining order in Texas was requested by a pair of hedge funds: Equal Access to Justice and the EAJF ESQ Fund, both managed by BE Blank & Co. of West Palm Beach. Each fund loaned MMA $15 million. According to the order, MMA pledged security fees from lawsuits involving Zantac, Tylenol, necrotizing enterocolitis, Roundup and weather damage.
Monson said in a LinkedIn post that the promise to fund lawsuits related to “weather damage” is interesting. In an earlier interview with Claims Journal, Monson said it is inappropriate for investors to lend money to law firms for the purpose of soliciting clients. He questioned whether MMA used hedge fund funds to pay Velawcity, a marketing company that managed to send mass emails and text messages to customers who could be affected by the hurricane. presented.
“So does this mean that these two hedge funds have been judicially acknowledged to have invested in MMA’s weather damage program, which has been the subject of intense scrutiny and has been widely reported and investigated? ” Monson said on LinkedIn. “If so, does that open up another legal door? That’s not for me to decide.”
A hearing on the hedge fund’s request for a temporary restraining order is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. January 8 in Harris County District Court.
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