Top lawyer in L.A. city attorney’s office quits amid questions about outside income

City Atty. Mike Feuer, whose office is already engaged in a high-profile legal fight stemming from the DWP billing fiasco, has been hit by the resignation of Assistant City Atty. Thomas Peters, who was overseeing that litigation.

Referral fees are common in the legal world. Attorneys receive the fees for passing on a case to another attorney. Depending on how long a case is in court, the referring lawyer may be paid years after making the referral.“When [The Times] raised these issues ... I brought them to Mr. Feuer’s attention who had not been previously apprised of them,” spokesman Rob Wilcox said in a statement to The Times. “Mr. Peters has resigned. This is now a personnel matter and I cannot discuss it further.

Panish, Shea and Boyle has sued the city on behalf of plaintiffs several times in recent years. In some cases, Peters’ name appeared on court documents defending the city in those lawsuits and on city documents related to the cases.DeMarco told The Times that the fees he paid Peters are from cases dating back several years, before Peters started working for the city attorney’s office. He also said his firm hasn’t had any recent cases involving the city.

Peters is the third attorney to depart the city’s case against PricewaterhouseCoopers. Earlier this month, Paul Paradis, an outside attorney hired by Feuer’s office, left the case and lost his city contracts amid revelations that he represented the plaintiff who later filed a class-action lawsuit against the city over the billing errors. Paul Kiesel, another outside attorney hired by the city, also left.

A settlement with Jones was announced a few months later. Around the time Jones filed his lawsuit, the city sued PricewaterhouseCoopers, accusing the consulting firm of misrepresenting its ability to implement the billing system.

dakotacdsmith Corruption, all corruption in this city government.

Law Law Latest News, Law Law Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Lawyer's office shot at after cop's acquittal in teen deathPITTSBURGH (AP) — Gunshots were fired overnight through the window of the attorney who defended a white police officer acquitted Friday in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager. They will be angry a day or two, then things will go back to normal until the next police killing of an unarmed black person
Source: YahooNews - 🏆 380. / 59 Read more »