Not doing work after being paid gets Miami and Fort Lauderdale attorneys disciplined
The three South Florida attorneys on the monthly Florida Bar list of attorneys disciplined by the state Supreme Court had two things in common: They got money for work, then didn’t do the work.
In alphabetical order:
Illeana Almeida, Fort Lauderdale
Illeana Almeida, a Fort Lauderdale attorney who joined the Florida Bar in 1993, took $3,000 to represent a client in a divorce case.
But, Almeida admits in her discipline case guilty plea, she “failed to file a notice of appearance; failed to keep the client informed as to the status of the case; and failed to take significant action on the case.”
When the client got a new divorce attorney and asked for his case files and his $3,000 back, Almeida had no reply. She had a reply when the client filed a Bar complaint, stating she’d refund his money, but she didn’t and the client filed a civil lawsuit that was settled by mediation. Almeida eventually came across with the money.
▪ Another family law client said Almeida “failed to diligently complete work on the case and timely file documents with the court.”
While Almeida’s guilty plea said the documents she submitted to the Bar “indicate that she did complete work on the file,” she made a motion to withdraw from the case. She didn’t attend the hearing on that motion and the court entered a show cause order.
Almeida “stated that she did not attend the hearing on the motion to withdraw as she had filed a stipulation to withdraw and incorrectly thought the order had been entered,” her guilty plea said.
▪ A third family law client paid $2,500 for Almeida to handle a family law case.
Almeida “failed to do any work on the client’s case,” her guilty plea admits. She “drafted a petition with the court that was rejected by the clerk. [Almeida] failed to promptly follow up.”
She refunded the client’s money and said she was suffering from health issues.
Almeida “fully intended to do all of the work necessary in her cases,” her guilty plea says. “She had a heavy caseload and, unfortunately, alcoholism began taking over more and more of her time.”
But, Almeida said, she’s been in Alcoholics Anonymous since March 2020, has done the 12-step program, still attends weekly meetings and been sober about four years.
“[Almeida] feels terribly that she did not conduct herself better with these cases,” the guilty plea said. “Since becoming sober, she manages her caseload much better. She is able to work longer hours, and her head is much clearer.”
Judge Lauren Burke, the referee in this case, agreed and Almeida was issued a public reprimand.
READ MORE: A Florida lawyer who tampered with a corpse requested disbarment from her Texas prison
Maria Delgadillo, Miami
A case that Miami’s Maria Delgadillo, Florida Bar member since 2000, was handling for Rafael Villazon’s company reached an impasse in mediation.
“Following the impasse, [Delgadillo] did not adequately communicate with Villazon and neglected his matter, leading to the case being dismissed,” her discipline case guilty plea admits. “Villazon scheduled an appointment to meet with (her) but she canceled the appointment.
“It was later discovered that [Delgadillo] misrepresented the reason for the cancellation.”
Villazon filed a professional negligence suit against Delgadillo and got a default final judgment when she didn’t answer. Then, Delgadillo didn’t completely comply with court orders.
▪ She also didn’t comply with court orders after bungling another civil case she was handling. When Delgadillo didn’t file a properly amended complaint, the defendant filed a motion to dismiss.
“[Delgadillo] obstructed the process by making false representations to the court regarding her unavailability for the hearing,” her guilty plea admits. “Upon discovery of her misrepresentation, (she) was sanctioned and ordered to pay the opposing counsel’s costs resulting from her misrepresentation. (She) failed to pay the ordered costs related to opposing counsel and only paid for the services of the court reporter.”
▪ A client retained Delgadillo for two legal jobs, but she didn’t “complete any work on the matters, leading to (the client) filing motions to remove her as his attorney. [Delgadillo] failed to appear at both hearings, despite court orders to appear.”
Her guilty plea says Delgadillo was going through a tough time in her personal life around this time. She also had a letter from her psychologist stating she’d been diagnosed with Bipolar 2.
“(She) experienced a mental health episode and was hospitalized at Larkin Hospital from Jan. 25, 2023 through Feb. 2, 2023, coinciding with the time period surrounding these events,” the guilty plea said. “[Delgadillo] is currently seeking treatment for her issues, being treated by a neurologist and therapist. (She) also has been under the care of a psychiatrist since being discharged from Larkin in February 2023, and has been stable for over a year.”
Delgadillo owes $20,000 in sanction fines. Before she’s allowed back off her 18-month suspension, she’ll need to pay that as well as get cleared by Florida Lawyers Assistance, the organization that monitors attorneys with mental health or substance abuse issues.
Leroy Lee, Miami
In the most recent case of services not rendered promptly by Miami’s Leroy Lee, admitted to the Bar in 1997, he took $500 from a Florida prison inmate.
READ MORE: A Miami attorney is suspended (again) after taking money for nothing (or not enough)
“(The client) believes he hired [Lee] to represent him on his criminal appeal,” Lee’s guilty plea says. “By contrast, [Lee] believes he only agreed to review (the client’s) criminal matter and determine a path forward for (the client). Although (the client’s wife) spoke to [Lee] on behalf of her husband a few times, [Lee’s] communication eventually dropped off.”
The guilty plea also said he “deeply regrets his lack of communication with his former client. He acknowledges that he could have taken additional steps to maintain better communication and is committed to improving in this area.”
Lee’s 90-day suspension ends on Dec. 30.
This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 3:34 PM.
