Plaintiff in Legal Malpractice Case was a defendant in a personal injury case.  He says the case could have been settled for $ 35,000 when the injured party’s attorney made a demand.  His attorney, without asking junk yard owner, rejected the demand and went to trial.  Result ?  Junk yard owner paid more, and now sues attorney.

"The owner of an Alton junkyard filed a legal malpractice suit against his former attorneys in Madison County Dec. 22, claiming they negligently failed to settle a case for $35,000, which led to a settlement that caused him to pay $155,000 more than he should have.

Ken Edwards of Ken’s Auto Sales claims Raymond Stillwell and Nathan Anderson represented him after an employee, John West, suffered extensive injuries to his face on Dec. 3, 2003, when a multi-piece tire rim came apart striking West in the face.

According to the complaint, Edwards did not have workers’ compensation insurance at the time West received his injuries and retained the defendants to represent him in West’s personal injury suit.

He claims during the course of the litigation, West’s attorney, John Gibson, offered to settle the case for $35,000, but claims Stillwell and Anderson never told him about the offer and then withdrew as attorney of record in the personal injury case. "  The case