A Broward County, FL lawyer has agreed to stop practicing law but not till after stealing thousands of dollars from her clients. A local Miami news station reports that a significant amount complaints were filed against the attorney by unsuspecting consumers who figured out the attorney they trusted, stole their money and credit!
Though Laura Hess promised her clients she had worked diligently to reduce their interest payments and re-negotiated their debts -they would soon learn that was simply an empty promise.
While her clients were making payments directly to the Hess Kennedy Law Firm -believing their debt obligations were being met, the lawyer never passed on their payments to their creditors. And it wasn't until overdue payments brought about debt collection calls, and destroyed credit ratings, did her deception stop!
Here's the Investigative story (and link to video) from NBC 6, South Florida;
The attorney general's office said a Broward County lawyer never fixed the finances of thousands of clients who paid her to fix their credit.
A hearing Monday dismantled Laura Hess' Hess Kennedy law firm.
Hess allegedly took money from clients who went to her to shore up their finances by consolidating their credit, the attorney general's office said.
An investigation by the NBC 6 Consumer Investigative Unit in May found hundreds of people who had filed complaints against Hess.
Kenyatta Becktemba said he felt "violated."
"They said they would actually negotiate with our creditors and consolidate our payment," he said.
Clients such as Becktemba say they paid Hess every month, believing she was paying their credit cards and other bills and fighting to reduce what they owed.
On Monday, the attorney general's office said Hess kept much of the money, never paying creditors.
Her clients suffered huge drops in their credit ratings, the office said.
"We are talking about many people who are affected, whose credit has been affected, who've lost money," said Cindy Guerra, of the Florida Attorney General's Office. "Some people have even lost their jobs because of their credit, so we are talking about a serious, widespread problem."
At the hearing, the attorney general's office and lawyers for Hess were given 72 hours to come up with a plan to resolve the financial dilemma for 9,000 of Hess' clients.
The plan is to include possible refunds, and the lawyers must locate a responsible firm to clean up the damage caused to the clients' credit and provide the service they initially wanted.
If the attorney general's office and Hess' lawyers come up with a plan by Thursday, consumers will be notified of what steps they should take.
Check Wender, Hess' attorney, said his client was sorry if anyone lost any money.
"It wasn't intentional; it wasn't purposeful," he said. "Again, it just, I think, was a function of being too big, too quickly."
Hess agreed to give up her license, and the Hess Kennedy law firm based in Broward will shut down.
"We've made sure that she does not practice law and that she doesn't victimize anybody else," Guerra said.
Hess may eventually face criminal charges. See video here.
Source: NBC6.net
Though Laura Hess promised her clients she had worked diligently to reduce their interest payments and re-negotiated their debts -they would soon learn that was simply an empty promise.
While her clients were making payments directly to the Hess Kennedy Law Firm -believing their debt obligations were being met, the lawyer never passed on their payments to their creditors. And it wasn't until overdue payments brought about debt collection calls, and destroyed credit ratings, did her deception stop!
Here's the Investigative story (and link to video) from NBC 6, South Florida;
The attorney general's office said a Broward County lawyer never fixed the finances of thousands of clients who paid her to fix their credit.
A hearing Monday dismantled Laura Hess' Hess Kennedy law firm.
Hess allegedly took money from clients who went to her to shore up their finances by consolidating their credit, the attorney general's office said.
An investigation by the NBC 6 Consumer Investigative Unit in May found hundreds of people who had filed complaints against Hess.
Kenyatta Becktemba said he felt "violated."
"They said they would actually negotiate with our creditors and consolidate our payment," he said.
Clients such as Becktemba say they paid Hess every month, believing she was paying their credit cards and other bills and fighting to reduce what they owed.
On Monday, the attorney general's office said Hess kept much of the money, never paying creditors.
Her clients suffered huge drops in their credit ratings, the office said.
"We are talking about many people who are affected, whose credit has been affected, who've lost money," said Cindy Guerra, of the Florida Attorney General's Office. "Some people have even lost their jobs because of their credit, so we are talking about a serious, widespread problem."
At the hearing, the attorney general's office and lawyers for Hess were given 72 hours to come up with a plan to resolve the financial dilemma for 9,000 of Hess' clients.
The plan is to include possible refunds, and the lawyers must locate a responsible firm to clean up the damage caused to the clients' credit and provide the service they initially wanted.
If the attorney general's office and Hess' lawyers come up with a plan by Thursday, consumers will be notified of what steps they should take.
Check Wender, Hess' attorney, said his client was sorry if anyone lost any money.
"It wasn't intentional; it wasn't purposeful," he said. "Again, it just, I think, was a function of being too big, too quickly."
Hess agreed to give up her license, and the Hess Kennedy law firm based in Broward will shut down.
"We've made sure that she does not practice law and that she doesn't victimize anybody else," Guerra said.
Hess may eventually face criminal charges. See video here.
Source: NBC6.net
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And the settlement for those of us that were hurt: 25% of what we paid... instead of the settlement gettin us out of debt, we are further in. She should rot in prison for the mental torment that she put all of us through, not to mention what it has done to us and our families in stress and lifestyle.
listen too me please all victims of this horrible deceptive act with ms.hess.please go under daily news reviews in florida & type judge ronald rotchild ruling on sept.30th,2009 and read that he awarded $ 54.7 million to the nearly 20,00 victims . just read it please. you will also read where the receiver had collected $ 17million .why has not been no mention of this in the receiver report.when you read it fot yourself please do like i am doing that is contacting attorney general mr. bill mccullom.every victim that you know pass the word on. i am upset that i am out of thousands of dollar ,credit runied,judgement against me & wages garnish.also when you read this go under mr.mccullom website and fill out the form citizen service.please check it out and also you can go under judge ronald rotchild ruling on sept.30th,2009 laura hess and then put you paper work in like i already have under ( citizen service) under the receiver website there is no mention of the judge ronald rotchild ruling on sept.30,2009 on the $ 54.7 million only the $ 17 million.havenot we suffered enough to receive what we are entitled. we have to stick together in this we are the victims not the villians.be blessed.