DAMN LAWYERS 3: A Deception
NEW VIDEO! Malpractice lawyers are taking aim at the DAMN LAWYERS in our widening probate investigation, claiming fraud after what we helped uncover. A DECEPTION that may have cheated a brother and sister out of millions of dollars from their dad’s estate.
DAMN LAWYERS 3: A Deception
This is not just a case about some greedy lawyers, there are allegations of fraud, disturbing charges. Even the former judge hired to settle a fight between Houston probate lawyers and their angry clients actually lied to cover up her clear conflicts of interest.
Sounds like a movie.
Actor Jim Carrey has a problem in Liar Liar, his sons wish that made him have to tell the truth.
Especially hard because of what he did for a living.
“I know a ton of lawyers, and there’s a big difference between vigorously advocating for a client in a legal fight and lying to the judge, and when you are chosen to referee a fight between lawyers and angry clients who sue them, you have a special duty to be fair,” Wayne Dolcefino told the camera.
We want you to remember those words from former Dallas Judge Anne Ashby.
Words like neutral, impartial.
Anne Ashby was a judge in Dallas for a long time, 22 years. Today she’s a professional arbitrator, and when you sue your lawyer for malpractice, a jury doesn’t decide, someone like Anne Ashby does.
“Hey judge how are you? I’m Wayne Dolcefino, I’m here to talk about the Allison case,” Dolcefino said.
“No thank you,” Anne Ashby said.
“I appreciate that you’re the expert at this stuff though,” Dolcefino said.
“No thank you,” Ashby said.
“Well, I haven’t asked my question yet,” Dolcefino said.
You’ve met Caroline Allison in our Damn Lawyer stories.
And her brother Rich.
They sued the lawyers they hired to protect their inheritance left by their wealthy dad.
You’ve met them too.
Jorge Borunda.
Michael Treviño.
And the lawyer they hired first, Nick Abaza.
The Allisons learned their father had protected their inheritance in a protected trust, but only after their lawyers started an all-out legal war with their stepmom, Robin.
They convinced Caroline to stop paying hourly and switch to a contingency agreement.
The lawyers already knew they stood to make millions, a big chunk of all money their dad obviously wanted his kids to have.
They refused to pay when they saw the bill, more than three million dollars.
Convinced the lawyers had defrauded them, they sued for malpractice.
Anne Ashby was one of the available arbitrators, even though she’s in Dallas, and the fight was here at the Harris County Courthouse.
Both sides agreed.
In part because they got to check Ashby’s sworn ethical disclosure of potential conflicts, first filed in September of 2022, under penalty of perjury.
Ashby is asked if she has any relationship to the parties, the lawyers, potential witnesses in the malpractice fight.
Even a catch-all question.
Number fourteen, are there any connections, direct or indirect, with any of the case participants that have not been covered by the above questions.
Ashby’s answer mentioned her judge job, old campaign contributions she may have gotten but didn’t remember.
But that’s it. No evidence Ashby even knew folks involved in this case.
Her signed oath was signed the same day.
The next month, Ashby reported she was of counsel for the Shields Legal Group that had a client once involved in a totally unrelated Harris County dispute.
Pretty random, right, but nothing of potential conflicts in the Allison case.
In June of 2023, eight months later, Ashby reported she hung out with probate lawyers.
Most everyone knows each other in the Dallas probate bar.
“Three chances to tell the real truth, the whole truth, Ashby in our view miserably failed the ethics test,” Dolcefino told the camera.
After eight months of false disclosures, Ashby acknowledged a new potential conflict, she knew a Mr. Collins and a Mr. Staubus.
By then malpractice lawyers were just months away from the arbitration, deep into discovery.
The disclosure was vague, really old stuff, it didn’t raise alarm bells for her malpractice lawyers.
They didn’t even tell the Allisons, had they known the real truth, what we’ve now proven, they would have rejected Ashby immediately.
That Mr. Collins was Michael Collins, the main lawyer for their stepmom in the original probate lawsuit that led to the malpractice lawsuit. Collins was going to be a star witness for the lawyers they were suing.
What are the odds?
“I’ve known Anne Ashby for 40 years,” Micheal Collins said.
Michael Collins backed out of our scheduled interview.
Collins not only did the judge’s wedding, he financially bailed her out decades ago when she was deep in debt, filed bankruptcy.
She was in fact a director in his law firm.
But it gets deeper.
The Mr. Staubus, he was the expert who slammed the Allisons’ legal case.
But even that sworn supplemental disclosure left out another big conflict.
Another lawyer with Collins’ firm is this guy Steven Besly, he is also the registered agent of Ashby’s business, even during the year Ashby was hearing the malpractice case.
None of this was known when Ashby ruled that not only did the Allisons owe their lawyers millions, but with interest and penalties it was now about four million dollars.
About forty percent of their guaranteed inheritance.
The Allisons’ malpractice lawyers at the Kassab Law Firm have now filed what’s called a bill of review.
The Allisons are asking State District Judge Cory Sepolio to overturn the arbitration award he approved.
They wanted their court filing to do the talking for them.
Ashby is accused of contrived fraud.
“It is hard to sue lawyers, to punish them for bad advice, cheating you. The State Bar of Texas dismisses ninety three percent of all complaints, that’s a track record to be proud of,” Dolcefino told the camera.
There is no way to track even the number of complaints a Texas lawyer gets.
Even a way to find out if the lawyers have insurance if they rip you off.
“The Allisons’ complaints on their probate lawyers were dismissed by the State Bar, but we will be watching their latest sworn complaint just filed against Anne Ashby,” Dolcefino told the camera.
Accusing the former Dallas jurist of fraud, hiding conflicts.
“A pattern of concealed relationships, financial entanglements and coordinated outcome. Integrity of the arbitration process is compromised.”
“I need you to stop following me. Leave me alone, I want the camera off please, take the camera off,” Ashby said.
Stay tuned. The fight to hold lawyers accountable, as more victims of this Houston legal trio emerge in the wake of our investigation.
“Stay tuned for the circle jerk we plan to expose next,” Dolcefino told the camera.
Keep up with us on social media:
