A well known Houston lawyer dealing with a possible investigation by the State Bar of Texas, for allegedly utilizing the signature of a useless knowledgeable in a court docket submitting, claims the authorized doc was as an alternative signed by a surviving relative with the identical title.
Legal professional Eric Dick, a former Houston Metropolis Council candidate and elected board member for the Harris County Division of Schooling, is representing Matthew and Monica Dawkins in a federal lawsuit in opposition to insurance coverage firm Allstate. The lawsuit, filed in February 2024, accuses Allstate of wrongfully denying a damages declare associated to a house water leak.
On April 5, 2024, Allstate filed a movement to dismiss the case, claiming the lawsuit was frivolous. In response, Dick filed a signed and notarized affidavit arguing that Richard Gadrow, a licensed public adjuster, had inspected the house in Might 2023 and located injury.
In an order filed final week, U.S. District Decide Andrew Hanen mentioned Dick wanted to clarify why he reportedly filed an affidavit signed by an knowledgeable who had been useless for greater than 10 months.
An legal professional representing Dick’s legislation agency mentioned Monday it’s a case of mistaken id.
“Richard A. Gadrow (father) handed away in June 2023,” legal professional Sartaj Bal wrote in a press release to Houston Public Media. “This April 2024 affidavit was executed by Richard Brandon Gadrow (son), who labored along with his father after which continued to function the household’s enterprise after the daddy’s dying.”
Hanen wrote in his Feb. 18 present trigger order that Dick and his legislation agency have till March 7 to show there was a reputable signature on the affidavit — or else they might be referred to the State Bar of Texas for a proper investigation and potential disbarment, the case might be dismissed and the notary public concerned may face legal costs of perjury and wire fraud, amongst different potential penalties.
“Complicating issues for Plaintiffs’ counsel, is the truth that Gadrow died nearly a 12 months earlier on June 2, 2023, after an allegedly tough battle with mind most cancers,” Hanen wrote in his order. “It is a reality recognized to Plaintiffs’ counsel since a minimum of December of 2023.”
Hanen additionally wrote in his order that Dick “has been beforehand sanctioned for counting on ‘knowledgeable opinion’ from Gadrow with out Gadrow’s data. … In that case, Gadrow said in a January 2023 deposition that he had by no means been requested to function an knowledgeable and didn’t write the report counsel filed.”
The attorneys representing Allstate within the case didn’t instantly reply to an e-mail Monday searching for remark.
Courtroom paperwork present {that a} “Richard Gadrow” had signed the affidavit in query, with no center title or preliminary being included.
Dick claims Allstate knew the youthful Gadrow signed the affidavit and alleged in any other case as an excuse to attract media consideration and “drag his title via the mud.”
The youthful Gadrow, in a Monday cellphone interview with Houston Public Media, mentioned he had signed the affidavit and brought over the household’s enterprise after his father grew to become sick.
“It’s a joke. I share the identical first and final title with my father,” he mentioned. “I, in fact, signed that affidavit that was offered to me. … It’s form of foolish to me that that is even an issue as a result of they [Allstate] know I exist. I’m named on like 51 completely different value determinations with Allstate as Richard Gadrow.”
On the time of publication Monday afternoon, on-line court docket information confirmed that Dick and his legislation agency had not formally responded to Hanen’s present trigger order, which was the newest submitting within the case.
