Opinion ID: 1670703
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Bessie Jones

Text: In 1982, Bessie Jones, an illiterate woman in her eighties, gave Earl Lindsay $500 for title work on two pieces of property in Scotlandville which she wanted to sell. Lindsay never cleared her titles or let her know what he had done to resolve her problem. Although she visited and called his office repeatedly, he avoided her. Only by making an appointment under her daughter's married name did she manage to see him. Bessie Jones asked Lindsay to return her money and documents so that she could retain another attorney. Lindsay returned nothing but a will which she did not want or need. Mrs. Jones' granddaughter wrote the LSBA on her behalf. Lindsay did not attend the hearing on Bessie Jones' complaint. At the Commissioner's hearing, he explained that his secretary had received the notice while he was out of the office with a bad back and she did not mark the hearing on his calendar. Lindsay claimed that he had made two trips to Baton Rouge to research the title, but the information furnished was inadequate to complete the work. He alleged that Bessie Jones expected him to make something up [5] to fill the missing links in her chain of title. Lindsay felt he had earned the $500 with his trips and interviews with various relatives. He denied that he had failed to communicate with Mrs. Jones.