Legal Ethics
Lawyer Accused of Faking Judge’s Signature
A lawyer has been accused of faking a judicial order to persuade his clients that their suit over a neighbor’s pool was proceeding swimmingly.
Actually, the defendants had never been served with the suit, according to an opinion last month that gave the plaintiffs more time to effect service, the New York Law Journal reports.
Laurence Jurman of Dix Hills, N.Y., pleaded not guilty last week to criminal possession of a document with a forged signature—that of a New York judge, the legal newspaper says.
The plaintiffs have filed an ethics complaint against Jurman and have hired a new lawyer. Their suit contends their neighbor built a retaining wall and berm, creating drainage problems that caused water damage to their property.
