An Ohio doctor, currently serving a two and a half year federal prison term, has filed a lawsuit against the attorneys who represented him in his case. Deepak Raheja claims he should be reimbursed for legal fees, as he never proceeded to trial.
Raheja pleaded guilty but now insists he made payments in anticipation of a trial. The doctor’s lawsuit is seeking thousands from two lawyers and two law firms. He had originally agreed to cover attorney and other related costs amounting to roughly $2.5 million; this large sum was agreed upon with the presumption that his case would go to trial. After he pleaded guilty and a trial did not occur, Raheja received no refund for his payments.
The lawsuit names Ian Friedman, his Cleveland-based firm Friedman Nemecek & Long LLC, in addition to a Columbus attorney as parties who owe a refund to Raheja.
Further information on this case can be found in the legal document detailing the lawsuit itself, which is accessible via this link.
This lawsuit raises questions regarding legal ethics and causes one to consider the legitimacy of Raheja’s claims. The outcome of this case could certainly be informative for law firms in determining their own fee structures and client communication strategies in the future.