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Corrupt Attorney Is Sentenced to Prison After Insurance Fraud Conspiracy

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in
person in handcuffs

Corrupt Attorneys and Medical Professionals

Joseph P. Haddad, an attorney, was sentenced to jail for 51 months by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in July 2014. Haddad, along with two chiropractors and an unlicensed doctor, was found guilty of defrauding insurance companies of more than $1.7 million. Haddad and his co-conspirators were fabricating medical reports, drumming up barely injured car accident victims and prescribing them narcotics and chiropractic treatment all in an effort to increase insurance settlements.  For years, the group leveraged a network of corrupt healthcare and legal professionals to submit fraudulent personal injury settlement claims to insurance companies.

The Consequences of Hiring an Attorney With no Ethics

Because attorneys have access to confidential and valuable information, it is vital that they abide by the Rules of Professional Conduct. When unethical attorneys violate the Rules of Professional Conduct, the consequences for innocent clients can be catastrophic. Clients may lose many legal and professional rights and opportunities, including:
  • Money
  • Cases
  • Benefits
  • Case deadlines
  • Opportunities to appeal
Unreliable and unethical attorneys can derail entire cases and rob clients of their opportunity hold negligible parties accountable. At our firm, we put clients first. Our clients depend on superior legal research and representation in order to get the compensation they deserve. It is important to investigate the history, standing and reputation of any firm or attorney with whom you intend to do business. At Arnold Law Firm, we pride ourselves on the level of legal service we provide to our clients.

The Arnold Law Firm Commitment to Integrity

As practitioners of the law for over 30 years, we are embarrassed to see an attorney engage in fraudulent and greedy conduct. We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the actions of Haddad and other attorneys who exploit their role as officers of the court to break the law. Unethical lawyers perpetuate the myth that all lawyers are corrupt and simply have not yet been caught. At Arnold Law Firm, our personal injury attorneys and support staff value our role in pursuing justice on behalf of our clients and feel privileged to work with injured patients who are entitled to compensation for their injuries. Our clients testimonials speak for themselves.

Settlement - $3,767,000

Truck Accident

A 20-year-old man who had been married for just 12 days left home on his way to work. He was driving on Pleasant Grove Road in Sutter County in the early morning when he came upon a slow-moving truck. As he pulled out to pass the truck, the truck driver turned left in front of him. The young man attempted to steer back into his lane but his vehicle struck an un-flagged piece of metal extending from the back of the truck. He died in the resulting crash.

Expert witnesses brought in by the Arnold Law Firm proved that the truck, owned and operated by a hauling firm, should never have been on the highway that morning. Specifically, the rear and side turn signals did not work and the rear-view mirror was in a poor state of adjustment at the time of the collision. As a result, the driver, who had failed to properly inspect the vehicle before setting out that morning, couldn’t see the young man’s vehicle as it attempted to pass.

The poor condition of the truck, its lack of maintenance and the manner in which it was operated were found to be substantial factors in causing the collision that killed the young man. The testimony also established that the man had been making a lawful pass at the lawful speed limit and acted reasonably when he attempted to avoid the collision.

The man’s 20-year-old widow was awarded $3,767,000.77, his parents were awarded $185,131 and the family was reimbursed $11,899 in funeral expenses. Though money is a poor substitute for a young man’s life, this verdict demonstrates that drivers who endanger the lives of others will be held accountable for their actions.