Complaint against attorney

[Stan S.]

I would like to file a complaint against an attorney there who took my money weeks ago and never took any action or followed up on something he told me would take 2-3 days. I know that in the U.S. it would be with the Bar Association, but I don't know how to go about it in the D.R. Thank you.

 

[Pascal Yhuello]

Post an email to tell me what it exactly was and I will share my experience with you. Pascal

 

[Fabio J. Guzman]

You should contact the "Colegio de Abogados de la Rep?blica Dominicana" (Dominican Bar Association) at (809) 685-5770 and file a complaint. If you don't speak Spanish, however, it will be difficult.

 

[scaramooch]

Stan concider yourself complaining about a lawyer in front of the bar association here in the states over a trivial complaint, you would not get any where, if you know what is the prequisete to disbar an attorney, he would have have commit a grave miscarriage of justice and you would not have one single attorney to represent, now that is here in this country, Now can you imagine what it is to complaint about an attorney in the DR, sure the Honorable Mr Guzman can guide to an agency of the government who might handle this affairs, but will it get you any where? has there been any cases there where a little guy have succesfully litigated a case where an attorney have done him wrong? I would say chuck it up to experience and I hope your losses are not big. Next time deal with a reputable attorney. This world is full of sharks, you just have to take your chances. Just remember attorneys have (ice) that run thru their blood, their is no human compassion, the bottom line is MONEY.

 

[scaramooch]

This is just a follow up on my previous posting. You notice that Mr Guzman said to you it will be difficult if you don,t speak spanish, in which that translate, that you probably won,t stand a snowball chance in hell of succesfully winning a case against that attorney. Also he didn,t offer to take the case. So much for attorneys everywhere.

 

[scaramooch]

certain entity, like lawyers???

Why is it that the profession like (doctors,lawyers,politicians) are held in such low steem and mistrust by every body by whole world over that is unprecedented. I am middle age and I can remember when I was a kid that these people were to be revered by their education that they had in which you did not. Now am at the age where you realise that these people are not better then somebody selling "snake oil" at the carnival.

 

[Tom]

Re: Complaint against attorney/You protest Too muc

>>>>>Also he didn,t offer to take the case. So much for attorneys everywhere.>>>>>>>>>>>

Scaramooch;

Don?t you think it rather presumptuous of yourself to suggest Attorney Guzman to solicit this case? He states and you reiterate the futility of pursuing this matter, it is likely that he did not ?offer? to take this case as he didn?t wish the man to be further injured financially.

As for your remark ?So much for attorneys everywhere,? it is a common complaint associate with many professions. I note that in other posts you refer to Medical Doctors in the same derogatory manner.

The news media makes certain we are aware of any instance where a Lawyer does a misdeed, a Doctor is negligent, a Police Officer oversteps his bounds, a Military Aircraft commits a grievous error; it?s the hundreds of thousands of these professionals that go about their daily service to all of us that go un reported.

I re-call a bumper sticker from the 1970?s when Police Officers were called ?Pigs? and widely criticized: The sticker said ?When you need a Police Officer, call a pig instead?

Tom

 

[Loren]

Re: Complaint against attorney/You protest Too muc

Yeah Tom. You know what I like about the DR?

In the Dominican Republic, when the police stop me, they usually are looking for a few bucks to buy some rum. In the USA when the police stop me they are looking for an excuse to beat the crap out of me, rob me, or just generally harass me.

I remember those pig bumper stickers from the 70's (barely) In this region of the country there are bumber stickers that are popular that simply says "Police Abuse Must Stop."

Its so bad here that the Feds just warned Columbus that they are preparing a suit against the Columbus cop department.

One Dominican friend who lives here says the cops are the absolute worst thing about this country.

At least with lawyers you can find one on your side every now and then.

 

[scaramooch]

Re: Complaint against attorney/You protest Too muc

Tom, there is alot on unsong hereos every where,but like in any profesion, I compare it to paint. It doesn,t take too many drops of black paint to make white paint grey, if you this drift.

 

[scaramooch]

Re: Loren you are misguided

Loren you are very misguided, any time you get confrontaincional with the police they are going to react in a unfavorable manner, this people are taught to retailate on the least reaction from you, now I was raise in the streets of NYC and I learn long time ago, that if a cop stop you for what ever reason, you just YES SIRRR them to death. Regardless whether I was right or wrong I never had one Policeman lay a hand on me, I could have if I acted differently, now I know there are exception to the rule, of course you are going to mention some of the police brutality the happened in NYC, and you allude to the difference of how the police are in the DR appose to this country. Well you have not read the Domincan newspaper a couple of weeks ago, wher the police executed three alleged criminals , they claimed that they were killed in a shoot out, but somebody took some home movies and showed them getting into police car hand cuffed only to show up dead, now those cops are under investigation, even the president of the DR reprimanded the action of those cops, also your comment about dominican cops,that they just shake you down for a few pesos just to buy rum, do you prefer currupted cops verses cops that will not take any nonsence from confrontaincional individual?

 

[Loren]

Allow me to clarify.

Let me clarify. I dont know too much about NYC. I have been there a few times, but at any rate, those cases were not what I am talking about. I can speak of my experiences here in Ohio, and I can also speak of the instances of people I know well. I too "yes sir" the police in the US, DR, and everywhere else I have encountered them I have never been confrontational, nor have I been arrested or physically abused. I have been stopped in the US more times than I can count for "looking suspicious." In every case I was driving a nice car in a nice neighborhood and not violating any traffic laws. The only thing I can think of, and I would love to be wrong on my reasoning, was because I was black in a non-black suburb. This has happened to me several times, both in the Cleveland and Columbus Area. In the Cleveland suburb of Willoughby, I was pulled over and accused of stealing a pack of cigarretes from a convenience store giving the police an excuse to search my car. I dont smoke, and didnt even have an ashtray or cigarrete lighter in the car I had at the time. I have been harrassed by the police in Valdosta Georgia while driving to Florida from Ohio. Not just stopped, really really harrased. That is one of the counties where they have a civil forfeiture racket, where they try to confiscate your car to fund the county system. They dont even have to accuse you of a crime. I am sure you have heard of it. it is the same way the feds can confiscate cash from a traveller at an airport if he has more than $10K on is person. They dont need to accuse you of anything.

Now, in the Dominican Republic I can blend in at least until I open my mouth. I agree with you that there are bad cops in the DR, US, Canada, everywhere. I am aware of what happened with those cops murdering the suspects they had in custody. They were wrong, and I hope they get what they deserve just like I hope we cook those cops in NYC who beat up that innocent Hatian and shot that innocent African.

But the petty stuff like the customs guy who asked me for a few bucks cause he didn't feel like searching my suitcases the day after christmas, or the two traffic cops who "allowed me to pay the fine to them (after all, I was driving down the wrong way on a one way street...but it wasnt marked! and, it was my very first trip, a long time ago) is a far far cry from the stuff I have gone through here in the US, and I have been lucky, blessed, smart, whatever that I havent had any situation escalated. maybe because I sit there and let the cerdo bastards get on with their ego trip.

Sometimes I wonder if I really want to bring my fianc? here from San Pedro. What will her experiences be?

 

[scaramooch]

Re: Allow me to clarify.

Loren , now I understand where you are coming from. Yes in your situation this country can be the most prejudice country in the world.Even though there is prejudice in the DR, it has nothing to do with color more like economic and social standing, as you well know the people of the DR are made of every color of the paint store, from midnight black to almost white.

 

[gio]

Every Dominican I know said that the law in the Dominican is "mojar la mano" and "la multa" and that the cops and the judges and any government agency office is for sale. They really feel that no matter what, except for murder, molesting kids, or serious drug dealing, you can buy your way out of anything in the DR. I never lived in the DR, only visited. Is it really that corrupt or are the people I know exaggerating? I got ripped off by a cop or whatever at the airport in the DR for $50 that he said I had to pay to enter the country. I didn't know any better and I paid him. It's so sad to feel that way about one's government. Even with my lousy experience, is bribery really that widespread or an exaggeration?

 

[scaramooch]

Re: In all of Latin America

Gio in all of Latin America justice is for sale depending on who you are and how wealthy, and what you are willing to pay to get out of something, that includes murder, drug dealing etc.......

 

[Tom]

Re: Complaint against attorney/You protest Too muc

>>>>>Tom, there is alot on unsong hereos every where,but like in any profesion, I compare it to paint. It doesn,t take too many drops of black paint to make white paint grey, if you this drift.

Generalizations are the sign of the uninformed or bigots?

Tom

 

[scaramooch]

Re: Complaint against attorney/You protest Too muc

No Tom am not a bigot, perjaps I used the wrong anology, but lets put it another way, the old saying that goes " one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel" in all profesional entity there is always a few that taints that profesion and thats all I meant. You must have lived a lucky charmed life where you have never been took by a lawyer , lied to by a politician, overcharge by a Doctor or generally screwed and ripped off by the world out there, I generally mistrust every body, if a person in general lives with that attitude he be a better survivor then naive one

 

[Tom]

Re: Complaint against attorney/You protest Too muc

>>>>>>I generally mistrust every body, if a person in general lives with that attitude he be a better survivor then naive one

Certainly a sad way to look at life.

If you return to your original post, I questioned you on your putting down Mr Guzman for not "offering" to take a case

Tom

 

[gio]

Re: Complaint against attorney/You protest Too muc

I do see Scaramooch's point about mistrust of attorneys and people in power. Often the power leads to corruption. How would somebody from another country really know whether or not the attorney that they are using in the DR is reliable and honest with the fee that has been paid to him or her. That attorney sort of has you at their mercy and you can only pray that you've got one with a heart. I know that they exist, my own lawyer in the USA is a great guy and has even given me some free advice, but, when you're depending on an attorney in a different country you can only go on recommedations of others and hope for the best. My ex told me that the way to get things done in the DR is "mojar la mano" and "la multa" which is bribery. Have you ever been to court anywhere, and noticed like I did, that the two attorneys on the opposite sides often began by shaking hands and when it's over, they talk about getting together for golf. I suppose that they're trying to be civilized, but it sure is hard to get an attorney to represent you against another attorney. It's easier to get them to just take over the case. They shy away from prosecuting "one of their own."

 

[Mike Martin]

My Taxi in D.R. was stopped twice in the countryside for no apparent reason. I saw the Taxi driver discreetly slip pesos to the police officer and we were allowed to proceed on both occassions. A few miles further we were stopped at a road block as another Police officer went through the same procedure. I held up my camera up to record the transaction....we were waived on but I wonder If I got the Taxi driver in trouble if he met the cop again. The driver did not appear worried but then I do not speak enough Spanish to really know.

 

[Loren]

My second time in the DR, I was on a trip with some Dominican friends from Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata. On the freeway, some police tried to flag us down. My friend who was driving was an officer of the Dominican drug enforcement agency.

Well, when the police tried to pull us over, he just said "naaah!" looked them straight in their eyes and kept going! I was terrified for a while until I realized they were not coming after us nor were they doing anything like radioing ahead. That was a real learning experience.

I dont have the cojones to pull off a stunt like that...yet, but I do fly by the cops along with all the other traffic at twice the speed limit. If I were to go anywhere close to the speed limit I would be in danger of getting rear ended by a guagua; one of which on the San Pedro-Villa Francisco route I remember having the moniker "Usurpadora!"