sam eakin writes:
Group,
This is to update you on (1) Group claims through the LADB , and (2) pending litigation against Middleton and the Gold Law Firm through the services of Mr.Chad Dudley:
1. LADB HEARING JUNE 6TH :
The claimants against Middleton have, or will, receive requests as witnesses to support their complaints in a public hearing about Middleton in Alexandria, La. on June 6. Based on my recent discussion with the LADB, “the number of witnesses is so large” that this will spill over into several days. My last best guess is that this is in excess of 40 people at this time, although some now live out of state. The general concensus among the legal community is that Middleton is toast and will lose his license to practice. In point of fact he has already told me and others that he is “retiring”. There is a general expectation that he will tender his license to the LADB rather than go through the litigation itself. I do not know exactly what this means from a procedural basis, but I will report back to you next week, after I talk to Mr. Damon Manning directly at the LADB. While it is a fact that our general experience with the LADB has not been good, I believe that Mr. Plattsmier, the head of the of the LADB, has bought enough time to sufficiently cover his friends at Gold Law firm and now focus on eliminating Middleton as the embarrassment to the profession he is. I also think that Damon Manning will do a very comprehensive job of prosecuting this case.
As of this afternoon I am still receiving calls from former clients of Middleton who he has called to testify on his behalf in the hearing. It would be a mistake to believe that he will not fight this to the finish, simply because he is a true egomaniac who loves the attention and has no conscious. Ergo, it is critical that we all who up to make our case and get this matter behind us.
Assuming that the hearing itself takes place, my understanding is that each of us will simply be asked about our experience with Middleton. Clearly, all of us have a responsibility to show up if requested by the LADB. The magnitude of the damage which Middleton did is only reflective in our sheer numbers and ability to follow through on the complaint process. I do not expect this to be a contentious hearing, only a fact gathering and confirmation hearing of those complaints which we all have made based on our experience. As a practical matter, it is probably our only venue to reiterate the role the Gold Law Firm had also. If you need any help or wish to discuss this matter with me or others in the group, feel free to email or call me anytime.
2. Litigation:
The Court of Appeal recently ruled against T.Mack Granger in his claim against the Middleton and the Gold Law Firm. Unfortunately, this ruling probably eliminates the Group class action claim against the same people by essentially ruling that our claims were a tort instead of a contract claim, meaning that the three year period for asserting claims had run out. A contract claims has a ten year prescription period rather than a three year prescription period. While we have not yet received a final ruling on the Group suit, we should generally expect the worst.
In summary, I think that we are near conclusion of our primary mission which was to expose Middleton and disbar him from practice. Unfortunately, our secondary mission of recovering economic losses for the Group doesn’t look good. Given the facts involved it is hard to not be a cynic about the legal system and its supposed enforcers (the LADB) but it is also a fact that we have had a significant influence on the system by putting bad people at risk and ultimately getting the job done.
