Court: Lawyers overbilled mentally ill vet, including for 'services' like attending his birthday par

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald-AP

IOWA CITY (AP) — Lawyers who billed a mentally ill Vietnam War veteran $125 per hour for “services,” such as attending his birthday parties and taking him shopping, will have their licenses suspended for 18 months, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday.

Keota law partners Donald Laing and Scott Railsback falsely claimed too many hours for providing conservator services to John Klein over three decades and charged excessive rates for services that didn't require legal training, the court ruled. The attorneys received $178,000 in excess fees while managing Klein's assets — while Klein complained that they didn't give him enough money to buy cigarettes and energy drinks.

“They turned everything into a profit for themselves,” said Oskaloosa attorney Garold Heslinga, who exposed the excess after suing Laing and Railsback in 2008 on Klein's behalf. “They charged him to go visit him on his birthday. They charged him for going to Iowa City to buy presents to give some woman. It was just ridiculous.”

Heslinga said the discipline should have come “a long time ago,” and now may have little impact. The pair's former law firm has changed hands, and a secretary said Friday that the two have retired. Their phone numbers were disconnected.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20130615/NEWS/706159924/1707#court-lawyers-overbilled-mentally-ill-vet-including-for-services-like-attending-his-birthday-party

[sulphurdunn]

1. What good does it do

to suspend the license of someone who has retired? In a just society these two would swabbing toilets in a penitentiary.

[Scuba]

10. +1

[DeSwiss]

16. It starts with the letter ''C''.....

....and the rest of it sounds like ''orruption''.

- It's all the rage, everywhere these days......

[hobbit709]

2. Suspend license hell, they should be revoked and then they should face criminal charges.

[Dustlawyer]

4. That is theft, not over billing! Put the SOB's in prison and throw away the key, and while

your at it, take all of their assets and give them to this Vet, they shouldn't need them anymore!

[Skittles]

9. are you referring to rape as a "party favor"?

[Mnemosyne]

3. Financial abuse of a mentally disabled person should be a felony. nt

[mopinko]

7. it usually is.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. When the little kids see the big kids getting away with crimes

this is what you get.
"But Mom, everyone else is doing it".
This is what happens when a nation's leaders ignore the rule of law.
Trickle down does indeed work.

[DainBramaged]

6. I have some 'billing' for these two scumbags and it involves implements of playing baseball

with their anatomy as the 'ball'.....

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. kick

[KamaAina]

12. Also a big issue out here

California has no problems. We only have "issues".

http://www.mercurynews.com/trust/ci_21002163/california-legislator-wants-conservator-fees-capped-throughout-state

Beall's call for statewide change comes a day after Santa Clara County's top judges vowed reforms to rein in fees following an investigation by this newspaper. "Loss of Trust" uncovered how some court-appointed conservators are charging hourly rates up to $250, double what most courts allow. The newspaper's series this week found six-figure annual bills eating into the trusts of elderly and disabled adults who have no family or friends to care for their finances and daily needs.

Reading of the cases "just made me sick," said Beall, who has a developmentally disabled adult with a special-needs trust in his family. "We need to limit these rates and set up some parameters so we don't have people's life savings or their family's life savings drained away."

"Loss of Trust'' highlighted conservators and their attorneys charging extraordinary fees: A Portola Valley man's estate was billed $258,000 in a year, money he hoped to leave his mentally ill daughter; a Belmont dementia patient was charged $1,062 for the 8.5 hours that her conservator spent purchasing a gift and celebrating the woman's birthday.

[LanternWaste]

13. I love the way that comes across!

'California has no problems. We only have "issues".'

I love the way that comes across!
I just may wind up using that at the office the next time it comes up (with a mental trademark given to you at the time...).

[KamaAina]

14. Official Nat'l Weather Service forecast after a period of heavy rain

"Expect hydrologic issues in the following counties:"

Back East, "hydrologic issues" are known as "flooding".

[jmowreader]

15. How nice...it only took THIRTY FUCKING YEARS to figure out this vet was getting screwed