Opinion ID: 1621259
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Larry Edmonds' Claims Against Defendants

Text: ¶ 18. The Edmondses also claim that Larry Edmonds may pursue claims for malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty against the Defendants. They argue that Larry may be able to establish a lawyer-client relationship with Williamson despite never signing a representation agreement, that Larry may also be able to establish ... breach of a duty because the record is unclear as to whether Williamson advised Larry concerning a loss-of-consortium claim, and that Larry may be able to prove that he suffered damages. Williamson argues that Larry has no right to recover against him because he never entered into a representation agreement with Williamson and never asserted a claim against AHP. ¶ 19. This Court has held that claims of breach of fiduciary duty fall under claims of legal malpractice. See, e.g., Wilbourn v. Stennett, Wilkinson & Ward, 687 So.2d 1205, 1215 (Miss.1996) (citing Hartford Accident & Indem. Co. v. Foster, 528 So.2d 255, 285 (Miss.1988)) ([L]egal malpractice may be a violation of the standard of care of exercising the knowledge, skill, and ability ordinarily possessed and exercised by members of the legal profession similarly situated, or the breach of a fiduciary duty.). This Court has stated that, to recover in a legal malpractice action, the plaintiff must prove by a preponderance of the evidence: 1) the existence of a lawyer-client relationship; 2) negligence on the part of the lawyer in handling the client's affairs; and 3) proximate cause of the injury. See, e.g., Lane v. Oustalet, 873 So.2d 92, 98-99 (Miss.2004) (citations omitted); Wilbourn, 687 So.2d at 1215 (citations omitted); Hickox v. Holleman, 502 So.2d 626, 633 (Miss.1987). ¶ 20. This Court finds that the record supports the trial court's conclusion that Larry Edmonds cannot establish legal malpractice claims against Williamson or Miller. First, we address the issue of whether a lawyer-client relationship existed. In Williamson's answer to the Edmondses' first amended complaint, Williamson stated: Larry Edmonds accepted and used the services of defendants and associated attorneys knowing that compensation was expected, so that a contract was implied for the payment of attorneys [sic] fees. It is admitted that defendants undertook to and did represent both Mrs. Edmonds and Mr. Edmonds and undertook to settle Mr. Edmonds' claim in connection with the underlying case as well [as] Mrs. Edmonds' claim, both with the knowledge and consent of Mrs. Edmonds and Mr. Edmonds. Williamson further stated: It is denied that the written contract of representation does not govern the relationship of Mr. Williamson and Mr. Edmonds. A contract was implied for the payment of attorneys' fees by Mr. Williamson [sic]. Under the circumstances, since the claim of Mr. Edmonds was derived from the claim of Mrs. Edmonds, the implied contract was identical to the written contract of representation for the claim of Mrs. Edmonds, from which it was derivative. Further, Mr. Edmonds on or about May 5, 2001 or shortly thereafter, for a valuable consideration, executed a `Confidential Release, Indemnity and Assignment, in which he affirmed that No attorneys have a pecuniary interest in the settlement proceeds allocated to Claimant, other than the Claimant's counsel, (emphasis added), and further acknowledged that he had had the opportunity to confer with counsel about the sum to be allocated to him in settlement and related matters. Therefore, based solely on this admission by Williamson, this Court finds that there was a lawyer-client relationship between Larry Edmonds and Williamson. ¶ 21. Nevertheless, Larry Edmonds' claims must fail because, even though a lawyer-client relationship may have existed and even if Larry Edmonds can prove that Williamson breached a duty owed to him, he cannot prove that he suffered any damages. On appeal, the Edmondses argue that [i]f Larry Edmonds establishes this [sic] his loss-of-consortium claim had a value, because Larry Edmonds received nothing on his claim, and the bar of the statute-of-limitations has now attached to this claim, Larry Edmonds may be able to establish that Williamson's breach of duty proximately damaged Larry Edmonds. Thus, Larry Edmonds alleges that he suffered damages because he did not receive any money for his loss-of-consortium claim. However, the record clearly reflects that SunTrust sent a check to the Edmondses, made out to both Lisa and Larry Edmonds, in the amount of $1,504,319.77. The record also reflects that both Lisa and Larry Edmonds endorsed the back of the check. In consideration for this settlement amount, Larry Edmonds signed the Confidential Release, Indemnity, and Assignment with AHP. ¶ 22. Because the record clearly demonstrates that Larry Edmonds received money for his loss-of-consortium claim  the only claim he could have had, under the circumstances  taking the evidence in the light most favorable to the Edmondses, this Court finds that he cannot prove that he suffered damages. Since he cannot prove that he suffered damages, there is no genuine issue of material fact as to his claims against Williamson or Miller for legal malpractice, which must, as a matter of law, fail. After a de novo review of the record, this Court finds that the trial court properly found that Larry may not maintain legal malpractice claims against Williamson and Miller.