Cal. AG's Raid on Golden State Lawyers re Bank 'Mass Joinder' Suits Doesn't Faze Fla. Colleague
Last week, authorities in California raided several attorneys and law firms there, shutting down at least one, to combat what was described by the state attorney general’s office as a fraud on struggling homeowners. They were allegedly persuaded to front thousands of dollars to pay for litigation unlikely to save them from foreclosure.
But a Florida attorney who is exploring the possibility of pursuing similar litigation in his home state says he isn’t worried, even though the Florida Bar is looking into his operations, which until recently had included the name of one of the embattled California lawyers, reports the St. Petersburg Times.
“The claims in California … have nothing to do with the operation of Ramba Law Group in Florida,” attorney David Ramba told the newspaper in an email yesterday. “I am researching the possibility of a mass joinder or class-action lawsuit in Florida.”
Ramba denied advertising such a business in mass mailings or accepting any retainer fees. A call center in Brooksville operating under his law firm name is unauthorized, he tells the newspaper: “Clearly someone is unlawfully using my name.”
Ramba says he welcomes the Florida Bar investigation and will cooperate with it fully.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Law Firm Seized; 3 Firms, 4 Lawyers, 14 Others Sued re Claimed Client Fraud in Bank Litigation”
