What to do if a law firm lied to my debt counselor abouta court hearing date and changed a document?
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What to do if a law firm lied to my debt counselor abouta court hearing date and changed a document?
Last month my debt counselor called the law firm which issued me a summons in my credit card case. They told my counselor (who holds my power of attorney) that their firm was no longer handling the case and that the pre-trial hearing had been dropped. I called the court and they said it was still on (today). During arbitration I specifically asked the attorney if she represented the law firm and she said she did. I asked about the phone statement and they changed the subject. I signed a stipulation agreement that had 2 written over changes without initials. Can I fight? Can that invalidate the agreement I signed under duress?
Asked on July 21, 2011 Florida
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
From your statement concerning your question, it sounds that the law firm and the lawyers against you have violated ethical considerations and requirement of attorneys about being honest that all States in this country require of licensed attorneys.
If you can actually show this through documents, perhaps you might considering contacting the Florida State Bar Association and lodging a formal complaint against the specific attorney and law firm with supporting documents.
Before you make any formal complaint against the opposing attorneys, you should first consult with an attorney about the situation and see if the consulting attorney believes ethical requirements have been violated by opposing counsel. You do not want to make a complaint with the Florida Bar Association unless warranted.
As to the stipulation you signed that had changes made in ink without initials, the stipulation is most likely valid even though the changes were not initialed before you signed the document. If changes happened after you signed the document, you could argue that the changes were made after you signed it and do not apply.
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