A lawyer who practices alongside her spouse is not liable for a legal malpractice lawsuit against him if there’s no partnership agreement, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has ruled.
While representations by attorney George Cotz might have given client Bonnie Messler the impression that she retained the law firm of Cotz & Cotz, Cotz’s spouse is not vicariously liable to the client because Messler did not rely on those representations in choosing counsel, the appeals court said. The ruling affirmed a district court judge’s decision dismissing the vicarious liability claim against Cotz’s wife, Lydia.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]