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SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Arnold & Itkin hit with $4M suit for not paying client referrals

Arnolditkin

Arnold & Itkin was recently hit with a $4 million suit, brought by a man alleging the Houston law firm refused to pay him for personal injury clients he drummed up for the lawyers.

Plaintiff Richard Fleisher, who is more than 80 years old, filed suit against Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin, along with former Arnold Itkin attorney Michael Pierce, on July 6 in Harris County District Court.

According to the lawsuit, in January of 2006 Arnold & Itkin hired Fleisher, an investigative consultant out of Friendswood, to investigate the firm’s personal injury cases.

Not long after, Arnold asked Fleisher to send him personal injury cases. An oral agreement was discussed to pay Fleisher 10 percent of the gross settlement.

On April 21, 2008, the parties changed the agreement – 12.5 percent of the attorneys’ cut without deducting taxes would go to Fleisher and the attorneys agreed to increase his hourly fee from $75 to $100.

“The quid pro quo in exchange for the above oral contract was for the plaintiff to refer new personal injury cases to the defendants, Arnold & Itkin,” the suit states.

From January 2006 to July 6, 2011, Fleisher conducted full field investigations for the majority of Arnold & Itkin cases, until the attorneys breached their contract.

Up to and including July 6, 2011, the defendant breached the contract by tortious criminal intent to defraud the plaintiff, including subornation of perjury, perjury and extortion in concert with defendant Michael E. Pierce,” the suit states.

Fleisher’s income dropped from $200,000 to $20,000 and his credit score plummeted as a result of the alleged breach.

“Also, the singular motivating factor to enter into the oral agreement … was to accumulate a retirement fund,” the suit states.

“The (defendants) were well aware of that. Nonetheless, they conspired … to conceal the amounts at issue from the resulting investigative work and referral of new cases.

“The defendants’ rationale was they would have to wait until the disposition of … federal judge Samuel Kent’s impeachment in as much as Kurt Arnold was previously his clerk for a number of years.”

Kent plead guilty to obstruction of justice in 2009. He admitted to nonconsensual sexual contact with two women who worked for him at the federal courthouse in Galveston.

Fleisher seeks liquidated damages in the amount of $4 million, plus punitive damages and court costs, including attorney’s fees.

He is representing himself.

Case No. 2015-38614

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