House committee OKs bill to increase penalties for attorneys that case run
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee gave a favorable report to a bill, HB189, which increases the penalties for unscrupulous attorneys who aggressively seek out potential plaintiffs, by offering bribes, inducements, or by hiring a person to recruit potential clients.
The term used for this unscrupulous practice is case running.
“Under existing law, an attorney who gives, offers or promises to give a valuable consideration, including money, to another person for the purpose of encouraging that person to bring an action against another; or who employs another person to search for or procure clients to be brought to the attorney is guilty of a misdemeanor and is fined not more than $1,000, removed and disbarred from practicing as an attorney, and may be imprisoned for a term not exceeding six months. This bill would increase the criminal penalty by providing that the attorney would be fined not more than $10,000 and may be imprisoned for not more than one year.”
HB189 is sponsored by state Rep. Matt Fridy, R-Montevallo.
Read more: https://www.alreporter.com/2019/04/08/house-committee-oks-bill-to-increase-penalties-for-attorneys-that-case-run/