Lemon Law Founders Fight Discipline Charges Involving Overwhelmed Lawyer
The founders of the “1-800-Lemon-Law” firm, Kimmel & Silverman, are fighting disciplinary charges that they failed to supervise a lawyer operating a Maryland office who was unable to keep up with an overwhelming caseload.
A Baltimore judge was expected to conclude a hearing on the evidence this week, the Daily Record reports. The firm’s founders, Craig Kimmel and Robert Silverman, both Pennsylvania lawyers, claim they were unaware of the problems because the lawyer, Robyn Glassman-Katz, had lied, the story says. Glassman-Katz admitted that she did not tell her bosses about the dismissed cases for fear she would lose her job.
Assistant bar counsel Gail Kessler argues the lawyers had unrealistic expectations for Glassman-Katz, requiring her to file 10 lawsuits a week at first and later 15 a week, the Daily Record reported in an earlier story. Glassman-Katz filed 461 cases in little under a year and claims she begged the lawyers to hire a paralegal to assist her.
Thirty-four of the cases were dismissed when Glassman-Katz was unable to keep up with discovery. She quit the firm in 2005 and accepted disbarment last year.
Kimmel testified the caseload was not onerous and that many other lawyers in the firm, which operates in several states, handle more cases. His lawyer, Charles Martinez, said Glassman-Katz could have asked paralegals from a different office for more help.
Martinez said Glassman-Katz would have been able to handle the cases if lawyers at DLA Piper’s Maryland office, who represent Nissan and Toyota, had not filed discovery requests. He said the lawyers made the requests “for whatever reason, we won’t speculate.”
