Whistleblower Sues NJ Firm for Alleged Unethical Billing Practices

4514 Cole Ave, #600 | Dallas, Texas 75205

Call Kardell Law Group 214-306-8045

A lawsuit was filed June 12 against Einhorn Harris Ascher Barbarito & Frost PC for allegedly firing a former legal secretary for issuing a complaint about misconduct she believed was taking place at the New Jersey law firm.

In the complaint, whistleblower Cynthia Reeves accused Einhorn Harris of incorrect billing practices and priorities which placed profit above the needs of the firm’s clients. As part of her claim, Reeves stated that work she completed as a secretary was charged to the client at attorney billing rates. Following the issuance of her complaint, Reeves was terminated from her position.

In response, the firm issued a statement noting that Einhorn Harris denies Reeves’ allegations and will be representing itself against the plaintiff’s claims.

Reeves stated that inflated billing was a common practice in the family law department of the firm. She also noted that throughout her employment at Einhorn Harris, Reeves spoke with her supervisor about the misleading billing practices and made it clear she thought the firm was being unlawful. At times during her employment the plaintiff also claims to have refused work which she knew would be incorrectly billed at attorney rates.

Further, Reeves alleged that unlawful activity included exploiting the estate of a deceased client. Allegedly, a lawyer at the firm had specific information as to the assets of the deceased’s estate, and used this knowledge to secure additional legal fees. Reeves noted in her complaint that she heard two colleagues speaking about the quantities of money the firm could secure from the estate.

If you have witnessed unlawful or unethical activity at your place of work and wish to file a complaint, or if you have been terminated for reporting misconduct, contact Steve Kardell at Whistleblower Law for Managers right away.

By Admin | Published August 24, 2015 | Posted in Whistleblower Litigation | Tagged incorrect billing, misconduct, reporting misconduct, unlawful activity, whistleblower

Cancel reply

Awards & Honors

Our Office

Dallas Office
4514 Cole Ave
#600
Dallas, Texas 75205
Phone: 214-306-8045
Fax: 469-729-9926

Testimonials

"Steve Kardell was terrific in representing me in some very adversarial discussions with Citigroup and also later represented me in my testimony before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission." -Richard Bowen, Citigroup Whistleblower
"Incredible knowledge of employee related concerns and equally brilliant knowledge of health care regulations, standards of practice. I would recommend this firm to anyone." -V.B.
"Reaching out to Steve Kardell was the best decision I made. His ability to provide immediate insight and direction was very powerful, and a huge relief during a very stressful time period. For anyone struggling with a whistleblower situation, I would highly recommend at least speaking with Steve. After a 10 minute call with him, I had a better understanding of what I was dealing with. Even better, he gave me some immediate hope. In the end Steve did a better job than I thought was possible. Steve was able to get in contact with people in my organization, that I didn’t have access to. Because of his years of experience, he already has contacts in many organizations in Dallas. The entire situation was handled peacefully. I was impressed by his ability to “keep the peace”–rather than creating a battle with the organization. The reason I didn’t reach out to a lawyer initially, was because I thought it would mean an immediate end to any hope of a positive relationship with the company. Steve was able to address my concerns, and in the end I was able to continue to work for them." -KS
"Never thought my career would end like it did after 30 years of service. I was part of the first round of the so called reduction of force. I asked myself how can I be part of this with 30 years of seniority. How did they pick these 90 plus employees? Now, the culture of this organization made you question every decision they made. It wasn’t what you knew it’s was a culture of who you know. Nonetheless, I did not accept their severance package. I immediately starting looking for an attorney who would take on my case. After the initial call to Steve I had hope again. He was open and honest about everything and reassured me he would do his best for me, and he did. I had an awesome outcome. Thanks Steve you’re the best." -S.S.