The putative class action was filed in September against the state bar and some of its former high-level employees by Ana Agaton and Arturo Emanuel Agaton, alleging the bar was negligent in its handling of Girardi, who has been disbarred and is facing federal criminal charges over allegations he and his defunct firm, Girardi Keese, stole millions from clients.
Girardi was a prominent plaintiffs lawyer in California, famed for his role in obtaining a $333 million water pollution settlement, which was dramatized in the 2000 film “Erin Brockovich.” However, in December 2020, an Illinois federal judge found that he and his firm, Girardi Keese, had misappropriated at least $2 million in settlement funds meant for the survivors of plane crash victims. Numerous other former clients have made similar allegations, and both Girardi and his firm have been forced into bankruptcy.
In early 2023, Girardi was charged with wire fraud over the alleged theft of millions from his firm’s former clients. That case is still ongoing.
