The case of Rozen v. Nite Rider Group, Inc. seems to be going on in three different venues.  There was the original case, based on loans and property noldings, there is a legal malpractice case, and apparently there is also a Judiciary Law 487 case too. "This motion by former defense counsel, Russ & Russ, P.C., Jay Edmond Russ, Daniel P. Rosenthal, Kenneth J. Lauri and Ira Levine, (the Russ attorneys), for an order dismissing the parties’ motions for sanctions on the moving parties for engaging in frivolous conduct as defined in 22 NYCRR 130-1.1, or, in the alternative, staying a hearing on the aforesaid motions, dated March 18, 2008, and March 24, 2008, until a decision is rendered on the Russ attorneys’ motions to dismiss the complaint in an action brought against them by Rozen for breach of section 487 of the Judiciary Law (pending under Index Number 19442/2007), and another action brought against them for malpractice (pending under Index Number 01462/2008)"

Here, "After the trial concluded, the plaintiffs became aware that a certain parcel of real property situate in Mattituck, New York, which had been the subject of financial transactions between the parties, and on which it was understood at the time of trial that defendant Sally Omar held an option, was no longer subject to that option. The option had, on May 12, 2007, been assigned by Omar to her attorneys, seemingly in lieu of payment of fees. Plaintiffs assert that settlement offers extended to the Omar defendants, and their business entities, were not transmitted to them by defense counsel insofar as the offers involved the Mattituck property to which the defendants no longer held any interest."

Now, sanctions are sought against the attorneys, even though they are no longer in the case. "In March of 2008 both the plaintiffs and the defendants moved for a hearing to impose sanctions on Russ & Russ, P.C., and those professionals affiliated with them, for engaging in [*2]litigation conduct which satisfies the definition of frivolous conduct as set forth in 22 NYCRR § 130-1.1. (Motion Sequence No. 008 and No. 009.). It is alleged that the conduct of the moving parties undermined the integrity of the judicial process and increased the legal fees of the plaintiffs. Specifically that : "It was the intention of the Russ & Russ Attorneys to take the option to the Mattituck property from the Omars and then cause the Rozens to incur extensive delays and expense so that they would relinquish their rights to the Mattituck property without the knowledge that the Russ & Russ Attorneys sought to develop and profiteer from the property." Rosen OSC dated March 18, 2008, ¶ 11. "

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Andrew Lavoott Bluestone

Andrew Lavoott Bluestone has been an attorney for 40 years, with a career that spans criminal prosecution, civil litigation and appellate litigation. Mr. Bluestone became an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County in 1978, entered private practice in 1984 and in 1989 opened…

Andrew Lavoott Bluestone has been an attorney for 40 years, with a career that spans criminal prosecution, civil litigation and appellate litigation. Mr. Bluestone became an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County in 1978, entered private practice in 1984 and in 1989 opened his private law office and took his first legal malpractice case.

Since 1989, Bluestone has become a leader in the New York Plaintiff’s Legal Malpractice bar, handling a wide array of plaintiff’s legal malpractice cases arising from catastrophic personal injury, contracts, patents, commercial litigation, securities, matrimonial and custody issues, medical malpractice, insurance, product liability, real estate, landlord-tenant, foreclosures and has defended attorneys in a limited number of legal malpractice cases.

Bluestone also took an academic role in field, publishing the New York Attorney Malpractice Report from 2002-2004.  He started the “New York Attorney Malpractice Blog” in 2004, where he has published more than 4500 entries.

Mr. Bluestone has written 38 scholarly peer-reviewed articles concerning legal malpractice, many in the Outside Counsel column of the New York Law Journal. He has appeared as an Expert witness in multiple legal malpractice litigations.

Mr. Bluestone is an adjunct professor of law at St. John’s University College of Law, teaching Legal Malpractice.  Mr. Bluestone has argued legal malpractice cases in the Second Circuit, in the New York State Court of Appeals, each of the four New York Appellate Divisions, in all four of  the U.S. District Courts of New York and in Supreme Courts all over the state.  He has also been admitted pro haec vice in the states of Connecticut, New Jersey and Florida and was formally admitted to the US District Court of Connecticut and to its Bankruptcy Court all for legal malpractice matters. He has been retained by U.S. Trustees in legal malpractice cases from Bankruptcy Courts, and has represented municipalities, insurance companies, hedge funds, communications companies and international manufacturing firms. Mr. Bluestone regularly lectures in CLEs on legal malpractice.

Based upon his professional experience Bluestone was named a Diplomate and was Board Certified by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys in 2008 in Legal Malpractice. He remains Board Certified.  He was admitted to The Best Lawyers in America from 2012-2019.  He has been featured in Who’s Who in Law since 1993.

In the last years, Mr. Bluestone has been featured for two particularly noteworthy legal malpractice cases.  The first was a settlement of an $11.9 million dollar default legal malpractice case of Yeo v. Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman which was reported in the NYLJ on August 15, 2016. Most recently, Mr. Bluestone obtained a rare plaintiff’s verdict in a legal malpractice case on behalf of the City of White Plains v. Joseph Maria, reported in the NYLJ on February 14, 2017. It was the sole legal malpractice jury verdict in the State of New York for 2017.

Bluestone has been at the forefront of the development of legal malpractice principles and has contributed case law decisions, writing and lecturing which have been recognized by his peers.  He is regularly mentioned in academic writing, and his past cases are often cited in current legal malpractice decisions. He is recognized for his ample writings on Judiciary Law § 487, a 850 year old statute deriving from England which relates to attorney deceit.