Chicago law firm accuses attorney of keeping settlement proceeds

A Chicago lawyer is facing a lawsuit that accuses him of keeping settlement proceeds that were supposed to go to his former law firm for attorney's fees.

Giordano & Associates Ltd. filed a lawsuit May 19 in Cook County Circuit Court against Arthur Handelman, alleging conversion and unjust enrichment.

According to the complaint, Giordano & Associates, a Chicago law firm formerly known as Giordano & Neilan Ltd., represented a woman from 2004 to 2009, when her suit seeking damages for injuries sustained in a fire was settled.

The firm claims the agreement between it and its client provided that it would receive approximately 33 percent of the settlement proceeds as payment for its services.

The firm, however, asserts that it never received any payment from the case, and believes Handelman has retained the proceeds on his behalf.

Giordano & Associates is seeking more than $50,000 in damages on each of its two counts, as well as interest and costs. It is being represented by James G. Argionis and Andrew M. Hutchison of Meckler, Bulger, Tilson, Marick & Pearson LLP in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L005357.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it represents only one side of the story.