Unlike Texas, some states still have a viable worker’s compensation system that produces valuable benefits for workers. One such state is California. So, as we might expect, the worker’s compensation docket is much more competitive than here in Texas. One defense firm sought an extra edge. It allegedly hacked into online stored legal files for worker’s compensation claimants. At a hearing in California, the defense firm pulled out the intake packet for one claimant, Hector Casillas. The packet included the retainer agreement the claimant signed with his lawyer. The defense lawyer was asked by the judge how he obtained the packet. The defense lawyer offered a various explanations and then finally said he did not know.

Hector Casillas and the law firm has now filed a class action lawsuit accusing the defense firm, Knox Ricksen, four attorneys, a claims service company, and two insurance company employees of unlawfully hacking into attorney-client files. See ABA Bar Journal report. In a separate lawsuit, the same law firm, Reyes and Barsoum, filed suit in Los Angeles alleging the same defense firm obtained more than 30,000 files when it hacked into files stored with HQ Sign-up Services, Inc. Reyes and Barsoum used HQ Sign-up to store confidential files.

Wow. That is taking “zealous” advocacy way too far….