Law firm sues Quichocho for unpaid $173K legal fees

A law firm is suing disbarred lawyer Ramon K. Quichocho for allegedly failing to pay $173,187.70 in attorney’s fees and costs incurred in representing Quichocho and his law office in the civil lawsuit filed by businesswoman Jung Ja Kim.

O’Connor Berman Dotts & Banes law firm is suing Quichocho and the Law Office of Quichocho LLC, in Superior Court for breach of contract.

Attorney Michael Dotts, as counsel for plaintiff, asked the court to hold Quichocho and his law office liable to pay the $173,186.70 in damages, attorney’s fees and costs incurred in this lawsuit.

According to Dotts, their law firm and Quichocho and his law office entered into an agreement in November 2009.

Under the agreement, Dotts said, Quichocho and his law office hired the plaintiff to provide legal services and represent the defendants as their counsel in Kim’s lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the NMI.

Dotts said they worked diligently on behalf of Quichocho and his law firm, expending considerable time, work, and energy in representing them, in addition to expending out-of-pocket costs.

Dotts said they provided defendants statements of account indicating attorney’s fees and costs incurred during each calendar month. They also provided statements about the total amount of fees and costs due from Quichocho as of the end of the monthly period. Dotts said Quichocho never questioned or challenged these monthly statements of account.

Yet despite repeated demands, Quichocho and his law firm have neglected and failed to pay the amounts due, Dotts said.

In March this year, a federal jury unanimously found Quichocho, his wife, and his law firm liable to pay $2.4 million in damages to Kim, who filed a racketeering lawsuit against them.

In May, Superior Court’s Associate Judge Joseph N Camacho suspended Quichocho’s license to practice law for three years for professional misconduct.

In July, Camacho ordered Quichocho’s disbarment from the practice of law in CNMI courts for professional misconduct in representing his then-client, Kim. That same month, Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman ordered a public reprimand against Quichocho for professional misconduct in connection with another Bar complaint filed by a couple.

In August, U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona suspended Quichocho from the practice of law in federal court for a period of three years following Camacho’s suspension of the lawyer.

Quichocho was last reported to be in Tacoma, Washington.