9 Investigates has learned the attorney representing the family of Florida A&M University hazing victim Robert Champion is facing a serious complaint by the Florida Bar Association.
Attorney Christopher Chestnut is accused of lying to the court, having runners solicit grieving victims at funerals and charging excessive fees.
Channel 9's Lori Brown learned that the complaint could have serious ramifications.
Chestnut's website boasts that his is a multimillion
One of Chestnut's high-profile cases involved representing the family of Champion in a civil case against FAMU.
WFTV legal analyst Belvin Perry, former chief judge for Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit, said the complaints are a serious matter.
"These complaints, if proven, can lead to his disbarment," Perry said.
One of the complaints alleges that Chestnut lied to the court and jurors.
"Presenting falsehoods, false testimony that you know is false, strikes at the heart of the justice system," Perry said.
The Florida Bar's complaint also alleges that Chestnut solicited clients. The complaint said that a man who said he was an employee of Chestnut's firm approached Belinda Strachan during her daughter's wake.
The girl, Tamiqa Taylor, had been slain in her Polk County home.
"You find people at funerals, when they are at their most vulnerable state. It is very unseemly to approach someone and turn it into a business opportunity," Perry said.
In Strachan's case, the complaint said that the Chestnut firm never even filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the case and that by the time Strachan found out, the statute of limitations had expired and she was time-barred from any further action.
In a phone call, Chestnut initially told Channel 9 that he could not comment on the complaint because it is ongoing litigation.
Brown was unable to reach Robert Champion's family for comment. Their civil suit against FAMU is scheduled to start in October.
Attorney Christopher Chestnut is accused of lying to the court, having runners solicit grieving victims at funerals and charging excessive fees.
Channel 9's Lori Brown learned that the complaint could have serious ramifications.
Chestnut's website boasts that his is a multimillion
One of Chestnut's high-profile cases involved representing the family of Champion in a civil case against FAMU.
WFTV legal analyst Belvin Perry, former chief judge for Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit, said the complaints are a serious matter.
"These complaints, if proven, can lead to his disbarment," Perry said.
One of the complaints alleges that Chestnut lied to the court and jurors.
"Presenting falsehoods, false testimony that you know is false, strikes at the heart of the justice system," Perry said.
The Florida Bar's complaint also alleges that Chestnut solicited clients. The complaint said that a man who said he was an employee of Chestnut's firm approached Belinda Strachan during her daughter's wake.
The girl, Tamiqa Taylor, had been slain in her Polk County home.
"You find people at funerals, when they are at their most vulnerable state. It is very unseemly to approach someone and turn it into a business opportunity," Perry said.
In Strachan's case, the complaint said that the Chestnut firm never even filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the case and that by the time Strachan found out, the statute of limitations had expired and she was time-barred from any further action.
In a phone call, Chestnut initially told Channel 9 that he could not comment on the complaint because it is ongoing litigation.
Brown was unable to reach Robert Champion's family for comment. Their civil suit against FAMU is scheduled to start in October.
WFTV
