Opinion ID: 2484983
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Count IIThe Watkins Matter

Text: In July 2000, Sherman Watkins hired respondent to draft a petition in a civil lawsuit against St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office for a civil rights violation after he was mistakenly arrested and charged with armed robbery and forced to spend the night a jail. Respondent drafted the petition for a flat fee, which Mr. Watkins paid. Ms. Watkins then filed the petition in proper person. When Mr. Watkins could not find another attorney to represent him, respondent agreed to assume the representation on a contingency fee basis. In 2003, the defendant deposed Mr. Watkins, and his substantial arrest record for petty crimes and drugs was revealed. At this point, respondent began to question Mr. Watkins' credibility. Since the basis of Mr. Watkins' case was that his reputation in the community had been damaged because of his arrest, respondent felt he would never be able to prove Mr. Watkins had been injured by the defendant's actions. Mr. Watkins also would not allow respondent to settle the case for less than $250,000. When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, Mr. Watkins' case had been inactive for two years. Mr. Watkins' physical file was destroyed when Katrina destroyed respondent's home office. As such, respondent continued to do nothing on the case. In December 2006, the defendant filed a motion to dismiss the suit on the grounds of abandonment, and the suit was dismissed on December 20, 2006. Despite receiving notice of the dismissal, respondent did not inform Mr. Watkins of same. During his August 21, 2008 sworn statement to the ODC, respondent acknowledged that he should have filed a motion to withdraw as Mr. Watkins' attorney when he knew the case was not progressing. He also acknowledged that his error caused the case to be abandoned. Seven days after his sworn statement, respondent wrote to Mr. Watkins, informing him that the case was abandoned. He also informed Mr. Watkins that he may have committed malpractice.