Chicago lawyer claims client company left country without paying $83K bill

A Chicago attorney is suing a former client, claiming it cut off all communication and moved its operations to Europe without paying its bill.

Richard E. Steck, doing business as Richard E. Steck & Associates, filed a breach of contract lawsuit Oct. 20 in Cook County Circuit Court against Intercom Ventures.

According to the complaint, Steck represented Intercom Ventures for several years in various matters, including a recent settlement in federal litigation that resulted in the adversaries paying Intercom more than $4 million.

Steck claims he was in daily contact with Intercom, up until he sent the defendant a statement for the recent litigation showing a balance due of more than $83,800.

The complaint alleges the defendant informed Steck it was moving operations to Europe, but would keep a Chicago office open at a location he had visited before. When he attempted to contact the defendant about the statement, however, Steck claims nobody answered the phone or email, and the office he had visited before was vacant.

Steck is seeking the amount he alleges is owed and is representing himself.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2014L010839.

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.