the State Bar of California has opened an investigation into Downtown LA law Group, a prominent Los Angeles law firm representing thousands of sex abuse victims in a record $4-billion settlement, according to court filings made public Wednesday.
the investigation, detailed in a Jan. 20 court motion filed by attorneys for L.A. County,comes as the firm is also the subject of a criminal probe into allegations that plaintiffs were paid to file lawsuits. The county agreed this spring to the historic payout to settle thousands of claims of sex abuse that occurred in juvenile halls adn foster homes.
The county’s latest court filing requests Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff’s permission to provide the State Bar with confidential case documents related to sex abuse clients represented by Downtown LA Law Group, also known as DTLA. The county stated the State Bar subpoenaed the documents as part of its ongoing investigation.
The county included a series of Los Angeles Times investigations as exhibits, citing reporting that found nine clients represented by the firm who alleged they were paid by recruiters to sue the county. Four of those clients said they were instructed to fabricate their claims of abuse. The firm has denied all wrongdoing, stating it “categorically does not engage in, nor has it ever condoned, the exchange of money for client retention.”
DTLA did not directly respond to an inquiry regarding whether it plans to contest the request.
“We are unable to comment on matters pending before the court,” the firm said. “while we are cooperating with the Bar, we are also taking whatever steps necessary to protect the legitimate privacy rights of the plaintiffs who are victims of sexual assault.”
The motion requests a Feb. 26 hearing to present arguments for allowing the state bar to review DTLA’s filings.
“The LA Times articles raise serious allegations of fraudulent and unlawful practices by attorneys that pose a risk of harm to the public,” the county’s motion said. “The State Bar cannot fulfill its duty to protect the public if it is indeed not able to obtain all necessary materials to conduct a thorough investigation.”
