Sometimes the critics are right.  Legal malpractice cases are sometimes simply a reflex and are brought because the attorney is the last person standing.  Carr v Hayes; 2011 NY Slip Op 31655(U); June 17, 2011; Supreme Court, New York County ;Docket Number: 104602-10;
Judge: Saliann Scarpulla appears to be such a case.

"Carr commenced this action by summons and complaint dated April 8,2010. In i is complaint, Cam alleges that his ex-wife, Clements; her attorney in the matrimonial action, who also represented him at the closing of the real estate transaction, Hayes; and his attorney in the matrimonial action, Regina L. Darby (“Darby”), colluded to commit fraud and converted his assets. Cam also alleges that Hayes and Darby breached their fiduciary duty to him and committed legal malpractice. In the matrimonial action Carr and Clements entered into a stipulation of settlement that was incorporated into the judgment of divorce. Pursuant to the settlement, Carr agreed to pay $25,000 of his wife’s legal fees as well as all of his own legal fees. These fees were to be paid from one of a few sources. One of the sources named was the proceeds of the sale of 65 Walker Avenue, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. The stipulation of settlement states that the fees “shall be paid to both lawyers prior to the distribution of any monies to the Husband and Wife.” In accordance with the stipulation of settlement, after the Sag Harbor property was sold, Hayes wrote checks to settle the fees of Darby and herself outstanding from the matrimonial action. Hayes disbursed the remainder of the sale proceeds to Carr and Clements

Carr has failed to allege any facts that could support a cause of action for fraud or aiding and abetting fraud. Carr has simply stated, without factual support, that Darby and Hayes have defrauded him. He repeatedly refers to the Closing Statement provided by Hayes as “fraudulent” and describes the copies of negotiated checks provided by Hayes as “fictitious.” However, at no point in his pleadings or in his affidavit in opposition to defendants’ motion to dismiss does Carr allege facts to show that these documents are forgeries or otherwise fiaudulent. Without some alleged facts or Circumstances to base his claims upon, Carr’s fraud claims must necessarily fail. Merely reciting the elements of fraud is not sufficient to plead fraud under CPLR 3016 ).

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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.