CHICAGO — A woman is suing a law firm and two of its lawyers, citing alleged legal malpractice.
Janet Johnson filed a complaint on April 20 in Cook County Circuit Court against Gerald Cassioppi, John Bransfield and Bransfield & Bransfield PC, alleging that the defendants failed to provide her with proper legal representation.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges the defendants advised her to keep mortgage proceeds in an escrow account while litigation was pending instead of giving the proceeds to her father's trust. The mortgage allegedly was taken out on a property that allegedly was the trust's only asset.
The plaintiff further claims she was not aware that she was not entitled to maintain control of the mortgage proceeds and would incur attorney's fees and mortgage interest as a result of not giving the proceeds to the trust.
The plaintiff holds the defendants responsible for allegedly failing to advise her that there was no basis for retaining control of the mortgage proceeds, as doing so would allegedly subject her to liability for the trustee's costs and expenses, including attorney's fees.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment for $100,000, plus court costs.
Cook County Circuit Court case number 18-L-404