Posted inSettlements

Boat Case Fares Well

Case cruises to an end

In the few short months following the guilty verdict of accused murderer, Alex Murdaugh, various financial and legal details have continued to resurface, leaving onlookers to question or assess the arguably ugly past of the prominent South Carolina family.  Serving two consecutive life sentences, Murdaugh was entrapped in various legal woes that contributed to his debt and the subsequent alleged motivation behind his accused lethal actions in 2021, which left both his wife and son slain.  One of the stronger theories of Murdaugh’s intent to kill focuses on his inability to pay his various financial misdeeds, including damages in a wrongful death lawsuit.

2 minutes
Posted inSettlements

From Pirate to Plaintiff

Johnny can’t depend on anyone

Johnny Depp has agreed to settle a lawsuit, in which he accused his former business managers of negligence and dabbling in fraudulent activities with his money.  The amount of money Depp was looking to recover was $25 million.  Depp played the role of victim, claiming the firm did not uphold their fiduciary duties to him.  He blamed Joel and Robert Mandel of the Management Company, who managed Depp’s affairs for 17 years, for issuing loans to outside entities without Depp’s knowledge, and investing the actor’s money in opportunities for which the managers could also claim stake.  Depp also accused the Management Group of failing to file his taxes in a timely manner.  Despite these accusations, Joel and Robert Mandel filed counterclaims in the lawsuit.

2 minutes
Posted inSettlements

Illinois Law Firm Agrees to Reimburse Scammed Customers

Debt

Legal Helpers Debt Resolution, an Illinois company claiming to lower its customers’ debt interest rates, agreed to reimburse customers who paid for the company’s services in advance and yet did not receive any debt consolidation.  The company will have to pay a reported $2.1 million in a settlement with the state.  By law, debt consolidation companies are not allowed to charge an up-front fee.  Instead, a firm can only make money once they’ve actually reduced a customer’s interest rate or otherwise negotiated a reduced debt load.  Usually, this means making a contract for a certain percentage of whatever the deduction turns out to be.  This a necessary protection, as otherwise consumers can be duped into paying for a service that provides no actual benefit.  Only truly determined scum would then be able to take advantage of struggling families.  So how did Legal Helpers Debt Resolution get around this?

3 minutes