Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Illinois

Attorney hasn't returned calls or emails in over 3 months

I hired an attorney for a motorcycle that was stolen from me in a sale gone wrong. My attorney filed the suit in Madison County, IL. At first we spoke weekly on plans and building our case, the defendant's attorney agreed to settle with my attorney for an amount that we agreed upon. I do NOT have this in writing, and that was 5 months ago. Since then, I have tried to be patient and only contact him once or twice a month. I have not heard back from him, nor have I received email, or any other type of correspondance. When I call, it goes to voice mail, when I email, I get no response. Please help! I am completely in the dark here in a case involving $20K+.

I have had to file Chapter 7 and liquidate most of my possessions, as I have been making every monthly payment of $366 since March 2004 when it was stolen. What can I do?? Who should I contact? How do I know he hasn't gone out of business and or disappeared with my money? With no communication, I am expecting the worse... human nature I suppose. Thank you for reviewing this question!


Asked on 8/09/05, 8:29 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Kevin Plachta The Law Office of Kevin F. Plachta

Re: Attorney hasn't returned calls or emails in over 3 months

Well to start with you should call the clerk of Madison County and see what the status of the case is. They should be able to tell you if the case has been dismissed or if there is a future court date. Then I would call the attorney and inform him that you checked with the clerk of the county and repeat the information you were given.

At the same time I would send your attorney a certified letter informing him that you have been trying to call him and you have left several messages but he has never returned your calls.

On top of all this the other option you have is to file a complaint with the ARDC.

If you have any questions please feel free to email my office directly.

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Answered on 8/09/05, 8:58 am


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