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A Colorado state judge has ordered disbarred attorney Brian S. MacKenzie to pay $650,000 in damages to Talji Lewis, a former client who accused him of legal malpractice. MacKenzie failed to appear at a damages hearing on Friday in the ` District Court, where Judge Jill D. Dorancy granted Lewis’ request for damages related to MacKenzie’s negligence in handling her personal injury and workers’ compensation claims.

Lewis testified that she hired MacKenzie in August 2021 after slipping and falling at a King Soopers grocery store. Despite MacKenzie’s promise to “get right on it,” Lewis said the attorney stopped returning her calls, and he never filed her personal injury or workers' compensation claims. The statute of limitations for her personal injury claim passed without action, leading Lewis to file the malpractice suit in June 2024.

The court awarded nearly $300,000 to cover Lewis’ medical expenses, as well as $50,000 for future steroid injections she will need for ongoing pain. In addition, Lewis received $200,000 for pain and loss of enjoyment of life and $100,000 for disfigurement damages due to the surgical plates and screws inserted in her arm.

MacKenzie has faced multiple legal setbacks in recent months, including a $500,000 judgment in another malpractice case and a $1.2 million judgment in a case involving clients Tracy and Jason Burke. Despite these judgments, there are concerns about Lewis' ability to collect on the judgment, as MacKenzie likely lacks malpractice insurance and the Colorado Attorneys' Fund for Client Protection may not fully cover the damages.

MacKenzie, disbarred in May 2024, had a history of negligence in personal injury and workers' compensation cases. He was previously cited for contempt after failing to turn over financial documents related to his income in a malpractice suit filed by the Burkes.

The case, Talji Lewis v. Brian MacKenzie, is being heard in the 2nd Judicial District of Colorado, under case number 2024CV31888.