Case library · Lawyers in the Dock
Settlement Money That Never Arrived
United States v. Layfield (2021)
Charge: Wire fraud, mail fraud, tax evasion, failure to pay over payroll taxes, and failure to file a returnCourt: U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal.State: CaliforniaDocket: Lawyers in the Dock
The facts
A personal-injury lawyer ran a firm with offices in several states. He settled a road-accident client's case for 3.9 million dollars. Prosecutors say he kept about two million that belonged to her, spent it on himself and on quieting other clients he had already short-changed, and eventually sent her 25,000 dollars taken from yet another client's money. Losses across his clients came to about 5.5 million. He also took a 700,000-dollar loan on false information and left the country.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: United States v. Layfield (C.D. Cal. 2021)
Read more at justice.gov. The source reveals the outcome.