Summary: Attorney Louis Uvino had already been disbarred for stealing from clients when he did it again, keeping a client’s settlement from a wrongful death suit.
A New York attorney is accused of keeping the settlement money from a client. Andre Halls Sr. wanted to sue the hospital where his son died from a blood clot for wrongful death. He hired attorney Louis Uvino to do the job.
Halls Sr. never received the settlement money after successfully suing Montefiore Hospital and the doctor responsible for his son’s care. His son received surgery which resulted in a blood clot. A jury awarded him $1.2 million so after the attorney fee, Halls Sr. should have received $744,000.
For over a year Uvino kept delaying the payment to Uvino. He finally sent Halls Sr. two checks but they both bounced. When he contacted the bank, Halls Sr. learned that the bank account had been closed for nearly a year. By that time, Uvino had taken off and was nowhere to be found. He had moved out of his rental home in Floral Park, Long Island. His law office was also shut down. Halls Sr. explained, “I called his office. The office has been closed and the number disconnected.”
When Halls Sr. reported Uvino to the Bronx District Attorney, he learned that Uvino had already been disbarred the year before for stealing from six clients. Halls Sr. said, “This man is a thief. He’s not only a thief, he’s a cold, calculating, pathological liar.” He added, “When he wrote that check from the law office of Louis Uvino, he was not a lawyer when he wrote that check. He was a thief.”
After months of investigators searching for him, Uvino finally turned himself in. The authorities had contacted family, friends, and colleagues when he finally called the Bronx D.A. on his own. He was charged with grand larceny for stealing $1,025,000 from Halls Sr.
When Uvino appeared in court, he had a Legal Aid attorney representing him. He pleaded not guilty. Halls Sr. angrily said, “That’s a sham to come in with a public defender to make you believe he has no money.” Halls Sr. added, “I’m happy that he’s been arrested, but I’m not happy with the judicial system.”
The assistant district attorney wanted a bail of $150,000 set for Uvino but Judge Masha Michael allowed for Uvino to be released on his own recognizance. His next court date is set for August 3. “Here’s a man who evaded the law for six months and he’s telling you he’s gonna show up on his own recognizance? He is a flight risk and a liar too. How do you trust a liar?”
“I want him locked up and I want my money from him. All of it!” Halls Sr. said. He has applied to the New York’s Lawyers fund for Client Protection. Chairman Eric Seiff stated, “We reimburse clients who have been stolen from by their lawyer. We just raised the ceiling to $400,000 this past year for how much a client could potentially collect.”
In 2014, a missing person reported was taken out for Uvino. He was described as a white man of average build that was suffering from depression and probably in need of medical attention.
Would you have trusted that Uvino would show up again when he had already run and hid from the authorities? What do you think the judge should have done? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn more about attorneys that steal their client’s settlements, read these articles:
- Gregory Stagliano Arrested for Stealing Client Settlement Funds
- Attorney James Grant King Pleads Not Guilty to Theft
- “American Gangster” Attorney Richard Roberts Offered Prison Time
Photo: pix11.com