Lawyer pursued future pain compensation for client who had died, ethics complaint says

Following an April 2016 car crash, Kyle Moon hired the Disparti Law Group. John Paul Kolb, an attorney with the firm, sought a $245,000 settlement for “significant arthritis” due to his injuries. However, Moon had previously passed away from causes unrelated to the crash, and Kolb was aware of his death.

The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission has filed an ethics complaint, citing amongst other things, an email to his employer that read “Settled $60,000. Client is dead from unrelated cause. Settled without [adjuster] knowledge of death.” The adjuster became aware when he received documents from the client’s estate. 

For more information:

See Debra Cassens Weiss, “Lawyer pursued future pain compensation for client who had died, ethics complaint says”, ABA Journal, May 11, 2022.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/trusts_estates_prof/2022/05/lawyer-pursued-future-pain-compensation-for-client-who-had-died-ethics-complaint-says.html