November 6th, 2007
A judge in Miami decided to delay a plea deal this week in an asbestos case. The defendant was set to plead guilty to two counts of mail fraud in regards to previous asbestos litigations, but the judge decided to delay the plea until victims had a chance to voice their opinions.
A man accused of fleecing his clients of millions of dollars during asbestos lawsuits was ready to plead guilty to reduced charges this week. Since the victims were expecting restitution from the lawyer, the judge in charge of the case decided to delay proceedings in order to give the victims time to voice their option. The lawyer had scammed 4400 clients out of more than $13 million during asbestos litigation, but his frozen assets only totaled a little more than $1 million. This means that, though the man will be in jail, the victims may have to go without being reimbursed.
The asbestos lawyer was in charge of handling mesothelioma cases, where victims were exposed to asbestos and developed lung cancer as a result. Many of the victims gave the lawyer retainer fees, expecting him to go after the companies that exposed themselves and loved ones to asbestos. Mesothelioma victims very often have little time for litigation, considering that the disease is usually terminal at the time of detection.
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