Ammerman & Goldberg

Date: Mon, Oct 16, at 3:PMSubject: Re: Fwd: Re: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania complaint #***.To: ***@myRevdex.com.org, ***@***.com*** ***: In reply to your latest email be advised that *** *** may retrieve her original documents from my office upon setting a convenient time to do so. There will be no refund available per the retainer agreement page 2.Harris SA***, Esq

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: I cancelled my contract with MrAmmerman on Monday 10,at 9:am, less than a hrs workday from Friday evening July 7, I explained to MrAmmerman that I wanted a Chapter Bankruptcy and he suggested a Chapter I also expressed concerns over the fees and amounts that he was charging, as I did not have the amount of money that he was requestingMrAmmerman initiated a call to my sister and began telling her all that he could do for me and how much debt I was in and everyone that I owed (I has not discussed this personal information with my sister) when he finished I said that I just want to cancel MrAmmerman began yelling that "I was not getting any money back", my sister hung up the phone and said she was not speaking, with anyone who spoke to us in that manner I then sent MrAmmerman an email formally cancelling my contract and requesting my refund and documents back He called me back and said that he would give me $back, that I could by Monday 10, to get them I told him that I wanted my full refund of $which he had requested in cash with my documents and would just pick up my personal documents and not the check unless it was my full refund of $400, due to the fact that MrAmmerman told me that he would not start working on my case, until I paid him $ When I arrived at his office I gave MrAmmerman a hard copy of my cancellation letterHe had a $check on his desk, I reiterated that I would just like my document and will not accept the $check, if it was not for my full amount of $ MrAmmerman screamed at me "GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!" I left his office immediately without being given my documentsEven after I cancelled my contract MrAmmerman continued to send me emails advisingAll the while refusing to give me back my personal documents - I have attached the emails and my response. July 12,I was told by MrAmmerman and confirmed in an email that I could come back to his office to retrieve my on documents, again I arrived at MrAmmerman's office and was told by one of his employees - who refused to give me his name - that MrAmmerman was not in and that he would text himI explained that I was there to pick up my documents, he said that I could not get my documents When I asked why he then asked me "to leave the premises or he would call the police and that he would mail me my documents." My sister was on the phone and heard the entire conversationThis is the third time that I have tried to obtain my personal documents from MrAmmerman and was deniedMrAmmerman has spoken to my very rudely and disrespectful, I have no desire to do business with anyone who treats me in this mannerVery frankly I feel unsafe returning to his office
Regards,
*** ***

Date: Mon, Oct 16, at 3:PMSubject: Re: Fwd: Re: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania complaint #***.To: ***@myRevdex.com.org, ***@***.com*** ***: In reply to your latest email be advised that *** *** may retrieve her original documents from my office upon setting a convenient time to do so. There will be no refund available per the retainer agreement page 2.Harris SA***, Esq

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: I cancelled my contract with MrAmmerman on Monday 10,at 9:am, less than a hrs workday from Friday evening July 7, I explained to MrAmmerman that I wanted a Chapter Bankruptcy and he suggested a Chapter I also expressed concerns over the fees and amounts that he was charging, as I did not have the amount of money that he was requestingMrAmmerman initiated a call to my sister and began telling her all that he could do for me and how much debt I was in and everyone that I owed (I has not discussed this personal information with my sister) when he finished I said that I just want to cancel MrAmmerman began yelling that "I was not getting any money back", my sister hung up the phone and said she was not speaking, with anyone who spoke to us in that manner I then sent MrAmmerman an email formally cancelling my contract and requesting my refund and documents back He called me back and said that he would give me $back, that I could by Monday 10, to get them I told him that I wanted my full refund of $which he had requested in cash with my documents and would just pick up my personal documents and not the check unless it was my full refund of $400, due to the fact that MrAmmerman told me that he would not start working on my case, until I paid him $ When I arrived at his office I gave MrAmmerman a hard copy of my cancellation letterHe had a $check on his desk, I reiterated that I would just like my document and will not accept the $check, if it was not for my full amount of $ MrAmmerman screamed at me "GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!" I left his office immediately without being given my documentsEven after I cancelled my contract MrAmmerman continued to send me emails advisingAll the while refusing to give me back my personal documents - I have attached the emails and my response. July 12,I was told by MrAmmerman and confirmed in an email that I could come back to his office to retrieve my on documents, again I arrived at MrAmmerman's office and was told by one of his employees - who refused to give me his name - that MrAmmerman was not in and that he would text himI explained that I was there to pick up my documents, he said that I could not get my documents When I asked why he then asked me "to leave the premises or he would call the police and that he would mail me my documents." My sister was on the phone and heard the entire conversationThis is the third time that I have tried to obtain my personal documents from MrAmmerman and was deniedMrAmmerman has spoken to my very rudely and disrespectful, I have no desire to do business with anyone who treats me in this mannerVery frankly I feel unsafe returning to his office
Regards,
*** ***

August 8, 2017RE: Your File No ***Complainant: *** ***Dear *** ***: This responds to your letter dated July 27, and the above referenced complaint filed by our former client *** ***You have provided me with copies of her completed grievance
application form; a two page letter dated July 12, describing certain events which caused her to file the formal grievance; and six pages of emails between *** *** and MrAmmerman mailed from July 10, until July 12, After considering her written statement, allow me to offer a more precise summary of the attorney client relationship that transpired in this matterInitially I received a telephone inquiry from *** *** on June 30, This constituted a fact finding session allowing me to analyze her financial status I have been serving the public for many years specializing in consumer bankruptcy law and my listing is advertised on the internet which is how *** *** obtained my informationI routinely handle Chapter and Chapter cases in the District of Columbia and Maryland bankruptcy courts *** *** had previously obtained a Chapter bankruptcy discharge when she filed a case in year in Maryland With this background it appeared that she had knowledge of the bankruptcy court processFrom the information provided in our minute conversation, I advised her that she would be better served by filing a Chapter wage earner’s plan for the simple reason that she was delinquent in her automobile payment by two months and owed federal and state income taxes of approximately $1, In addition she reported outstanding payday loans of $5,000.00, credit card debt of $6,and a utility bill of $ I explained that utilizing a Chapter 13, if she could propose a legally feasible plan, she could retain her automobile even though the account was delinquent While she insisted upon retaining her automobile, I explained that if she missed one more monthly payment, she risked having the automobile repossessed by the secured creditor *** *** Credit Union But, a Chapter filing would allow her to cure the arrears and retain the automobile as long as she resumed regular payments However, in a Chapter scenario, she would be obligated to instantly bring current the account totaling $or be forced to surrender the automobileShe subsequently called me for an office appointment and we met for minutes on July 7, At my request she brought the required documents, i.eincome tax statements, pay advices, bank account statements and outstanding unpaid bills At our meeting I reviewed all of her documents and outlined her assets and liabilities I have attached hereto three of my internal documents: (1) initial intake memo; (2) my handwritten review of her case which sets forth a summary of her debt and monthly expenses and a proposed plan of repayment; and (3) a means test work sheet which contains information to meet the requirements of the Means Test as mandated in the bankruptcy code The means test is based on a debtor’s monthly average gross earnings and the information is uploaded to the court when the case is filed After physically reviewing her information, it turned out that her unsecured debt totaled approximately $58,and not the $11,she mentioned during our earlier phone conversation This is a common occurrence and often prospective clients do not realize the amount of their debt loadIn Chapter the bankruptcy court allows an attorney fee of $4, It is customary that lawyers accept a portion as an up front fee and the balance as a priority claim to be paid by the court appointed bankruptcy trustee through the confirmed planObviously if the case is not approved by the Court the fee balance may not be paid Through the years I have been quite successful in getting cases confirmed by the Court My customary fee is based on payments of $which includes the Court filing fee, the required two credit counseling course certificates and a credit report which we purchased from a bankruptcy support vendor My usual hourly rate under a billing schedule is $ Her case required a tighter time line in order to stop *** *** Credit Union from repossessing the automobile I wanted to act expeditiously and file the case as soon as possible For this reason I reduced my customary fee from payments of $to payments of $or $1,After payment of Court and related costs I would receive about $towards my total fee of $4,which would be deferred subject to Court approvalWe signed the fee retainer which she has provided to your office and it clearly sets forth the representation, requirements, responsibilities, and fee structure There does not appear to any dispute about this phase of the representationAs part of my examination of her facts, it appeared that the initial Chapter plan payment would be $per month based on her stated income However, I advised her that her tax exemptions would need to be reduced from to or The unusually high federal and state exemptions were causing her to owe taxes each year I refer you to my attached means test worksheet in which I itemized the tax liability for years to I advised her that continuing to owe taxes in future returns would be cause for dismissal of her Chapter case The remedy was to reduce the exemptions now to avoid problems in the futureFollowing our meeting she appeared to be satisfied with the bankruptcy plan that I was proposing and the meeting concluded in an amicable fashionOn the following Monday I received a call from her after conferring with her sister She stated that she wanted to cancel the agreement, demanded a full refund of the $paid, and requested return of her documents She made ample reference to advice received from her sister who was purportedly familiar with legal matters At my insistence I immediately arranged a way telephone conversation with the sister in an attempt to explain my plan and the reasons supporting it I attempted to advise the sister of my research in the case with *** ***’s permission, but the conversation was unproductiveI reminded *** *** that on page of our fee agreement it states: “If you have paid a retainer fee to this law firm and you subsequently elect not to proceed with a bankruptcy filing, you agree that this sum is fully earned and may be retained by us as a fee:” In light of her personal financial situation, I offered to refund $or half of the retainer A check was drafted but she refused it Also, I advised her that she could retrieve her documents but that she would have to sign for the documents stating that they were received Under no circumstances was I going to mail the documents to her without the assurance that the materials were not properly handled and returnedShe did appear at my office requesting return of her documents and retainer However, I was in Court at the time and unavailable to respond directly with her My staff member requested that she leave the office She appeared to be agitated and refused to leave until my staff person said he would call the police After returning to the office I again offered her return of the documents and the $refund but she refused She and her sister threatened to bring a legal action against me and the result is the instant bar complaintI have in my possession all of her documents and will await further disposition by bar counsel unless she wishes to make an appointment to collect the documents and sign for them The documents include the following: recent pay advices; income taxes to 2016; all of her bills enumerated on my work sheet which includes different creditors; automobile loan statement from *** *** Credit UnionI still believe that *** *** would be advised to seek bankruptcy assistance or face repossession of her automobile and adverse actions by creditors including the taxing authorities In an attempt to provide the best legal advice possible, I emailed her and explained that based on her financial hardship, I would be willing to file a Chapter case under the same reduced fee, but that she would still owe taxes and *** *** Credit Union regarding the outstanding automobile loan At this point she and her sister rejected any advice that I offeredSincerely, Harris ** A***

August 8, 2017RE:  Your File No.  [redacted]Complainant:  [redacted]Dear [redacted]: This  responds to your letter dated July 27, 2017 and the above referenced complaint filed by our former client [redacted]. You have provided me with copies of her completed grievance...

application form; a two page letter dated July 12, 2017 describing certain events which caused her to file the formal grievance; and six pages of emails between [redacted] and Mr. Ammerman mailed from July 10, 2017 until July 12, 2017. After considering her written statement, allow me to offer a more precise summary of the attorney client relationship that transpired in this matter. Initially I received a telephone inquiry from [redacted] on June 30, 2017.  This constituted a fact finding session allowing me to analyze her financial status.  I have been serving the public for many years specializing in consumer bankruptcy law and my listing is advertised on the internet which is how [redacted] obtained my information. I routinely handle Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases in the District of Columbia and Maryland bankruptcy courts.  [redacted] had previously obtained a Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharge when she filed a case in year 2002 in Maryland.   With this background it appeared that she had knowledge of the bankruptcy court process. From the information provided in our 30 minute conversation, I advised her that she would be better served by filing a Chapter 13 wage earner’s plan for the simple reason that she was delinquent in her automobile payment by two months and owed federal and state 2016 income taxes of approximately $1,350.00.   In addition she reported outstanding payday loans of $5,000.00, credit card debt of $6,000.00 and a utility bill of $300.00.    I explained that utilizing a Chapter 13, if she could propose a legally feasible plan, she could retain her automobile even though the account was delinquent.  While she insisted upon retaining her automobile, I explained that if she missed one more monthly payment, she risked having the automobile repossessed by the secured creditor [redacted] Credit Union.  But, a Chapter 13 filing would allow her to cure the arrears and retain the automobile as long as she resumed regular payments.  However, in a Chapter 7 scenario, she would be obligated to instantly bring current the account totaling $730.00 or be forced to surrender the automobile. She subsequently called me for an office appointment and we met for 90 minutes on July 7, 2017.  At my request she brought the required documents, i.e. income tax statements, pay advices, bank account statements and outstanding unpaid bills.    At our meeting I reviewed all of her documents and outlined her assets and liabilities.  I have attached hereto three of my internal documents:  (1) initial intake memo; (2) my handwritten review of her case which sets forth a summary of her debt and  monthly expenses and a proposed plan of repayment; and (3) a means test work sheet which contains information to meet the requirements of the Means Test as mandated in the bankruptcy code.  The means test is based on a debtor’s monthly average gross earnings and the information is uploaded to the court when the case is filed.   After physically reviewing her information, it turned out that her unsecured debt totaled approximately $58,451.00 and not the $11,300.00 she mentioned during our earlier phone conversation.  This is a common occurrence and often prospective clients do not realize the amount of their debt load. In Chapter 13 the bankruptcy court allows an attorney fee of $4,500.00.  It is customary that lawyers accept a portion as an up front fee and the balance as a priority claim to be paid by the court appointed bankruptcy trustee through the confirmed plan. Obviously if the case is not approved by the Court the fee balance may not be paid.  Through the years I have been quite successful in getting cases confirmed by the Court.   My customary fee is based on 4 payments of $500.00 which includes the Court filing fee, the required two credit counseling course certificates and a credit report which we purchased from a bankruptcy support vendor.   My usual hourly rate under a billing schedule is $400.00.   Her case required a tighter time line in order to stop [redacted] Credit Union from repossessing the automobile.  I wanted to act expeditiously and file the case as soon as possible.  For this reason I reduced my customary  fee from 4 payments of $500.00 to 3 payments of $400.00 or $1,200.00. After payment of Court and related costs I would receive about $900.00 towards my total fee of $4,500.00 which would be deferred subject to Court approval. We signed the fee retainer which she has provided to your office and it clearly sets forth the representation, requirements, responsibilities, and fee structure.  There does not appear to any dispute about this phase of the representation. As part of my examination of her facts, it appeared that the initial Chapter 13 plan payment would be $200.00 per month based on her stated income.  However, I advised her that her tax exemptions would need to be reduced from 10 to 2 or 3.  The unusually high federal and state exemptions were causing her to owe taxes each year.  I refer you to my attached means test worksheet in which I itemized the tax liability for years 2013 to 2016.  I advised her that continuing to owe taxes in future returns would be cause for dismissal of her Chapter 13 case.  The remedy was to reduce the exemptions now to avoid problems in the future. Following our meeting she appeared to be satisfied with the bankruptcy plan that I was proposing and the meeting concluded in an amicable fashion. On the following Monday I received a call from her after conferring with her sister.   She stated that she wanted to cancel the agreement, demanded a full refund of the $400.00 paid, and requested return of her documents.   She made ample reference to advice received from her sister who was purportedly familiar with legal matters.  At my insistence I immediately arranged a 3 way telephone conversation with the sister in an attempt to explain my plan and the reasons supporting it.  I attempted  to advise the sister of my research in the case with [redacted]’s permission, but the conversation was unproductive. I  reminded [redacted] that on page 2 of our fee agreement it states:  “If you have paid a retainer fee to this law firm and you subsequently elect not to proceed with a bankruptcy filing, you agree that this sum is fully earned and may be retained by us as a fee:”  In light of her personal financial situation, I offered to refund $200.00 or half of the retainer.  A check was drafted but she refused it.  Also, I advised her that she could retrieve her documents but that she would have to sign for the documents stating that they were received.  Under no circumstances was I going to mail the documents to her without the assurance that the  materials were not properly handled and returned. She did appear at my office requesting return of her documents and retainer.  However, I was in Court at the time and unavailable to respond directly with her.  My staff member requested that she leave the office.  She appeared to be agitated and refused to leave until my staff person said he would  call the police.   After returning to the office I again offered her return of the documents and the $200.00 refund but she refused.  She and her sister threatened to bring a legal action against me and the result is the instant bar complaint. I have in my possession all of her documents and will await further disposition by bar counsel unless she wishes to make an appointment to collect the documents and sign for them.  The documents include the following:  recent pay advices; income taxes 2013 to 2016; all of her bills enumerated on my work sheet which includes 17 different creditors; automobile loan statement from [redacted] Credit Union. I still believe that [redacted] would be advised to  seek bankruptcy assistance or face repossession of her automobile and adverse actions by creditors including the taxing authorities.  In an attempt to provide the best legal advice possible,  I emailed her and explained that based on her financial hardship, I would be willing to file a Chapter 7 case under the same reduced fee, but that she would still owe taxes and [redacted] Credit Union regarding the outstanding automobile loan.  At this point she and her sister rejected any advice that I offered. Sincerely,           Harris ** A[redacted]