Alan Molina

Alan Molina

Ms. Hernandez retained my office to defend her interests and file a counter claim in a small claim matter. The value of her former tenant's claim exceed her counterclaim by a significant amount. Despite this, I negotiated a settlement which would have resulted in Ms. Hernandez receiving 100% of the value of her counter-claim. The settlement would have included a partial refund of the flat fee retainer that she had paid my office, since it would have resolved the matter without a court appearance. Ms. Hernandez rejected the settlement and accused me of having taken a payoff from the Plaintiff. Not only did I not take a payoff, but the suggestion that someone would actually consider paying a bribe to avoid paying $850 (the value of the counterclaim), is nonsensical. Despite her suggestion to the contrary, all parties appeared at the scheduled trial. Her continued accusations and behavior, however, led the trial judge to sign an order relieving me as her attorney. Ms. Hernandez did not object to the entry of the order, as she advised the court that she preferred to hire another attorney. The court adjourned the trial to allow her to do so. While I empathize with the fact that Ms. Hernandez wound up spending additional money to retain a second attorney to litigate a minor dispute, her decision to reject an amicable resolution that would have resulted in her being made whole, led to this result.