Law firms Greenspoon Marder, via attorneys Beth-Ann Krimsky and John Pelzer, have been accused of violating Florida Bar rules by filing a charging lien to seize $562,316 in litigation costs from a single client, Timothy Finnerty. The costs were incurred during the firm’s failed attempt to certify a class action against Stiefel Laboratories Inc. for securities fraud before they withdrew from the case. Finnerty, a former Stiefel employee who lost his life savings, was later represented by Podhurst Orseck attorneys Peter Prieto and Matt Weinshall, who secured a $1.5 million jury verdict for him. Prieto is fiercely objecting to the lien, arguing that forcing one client to cover the costs of an entire failed class action is “patently unjust” and “outrageous.”
Originally published by Julie Kay | Daily Business Review (Law.com)
