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LOUISIANA RECORD

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Parents accuse immigration lawyer of negligent misrepresentation

Lawyer

NEW ORLEANS — The parents of two minors are suing an immigration lawyer and her law firm, alleging negligent misrepresentation on behalf of them and their children.

Amanda Bouchutsos of Montreal, Quebec,and Panagiotis Kavallaris of Greece, on behalf of their minor children, filed a lawsuit April 8, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Kristie Leigh Bowerman, Immigration Law Group of Bowerman & Associates and XYZ Insurance Company, alleging the defendants breached their representation agreement.

According to the complaint, Bouchoutsos lost her driver’s license, which resulted in her incurring significantly more increased travel expenses, and their children were transferred from public school to private school, which also cost the parents significantly increased expense. The suit blames Bowerman for their troubles. 

They were forced to leave the United States, lose the benefit of personal oversight of substantial investments, and had leave behind their minor children, the suit says, so that the children might continue their education in Houston. 

The plaintiffs allege the defendants failed to secure and protect certain rights available to their children under immigration law, should have known that the contract was intended to gratify non-pecuniary interests of their minor children, failed to timely and adequately file immigration forms, failed to timely and adequately perform the duties set forth in the representation agreement, failed to diligently represent the family before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and failed to advise them of the expiration of their immigration status and the consequences.

Bouchutsos and Kavallaris request a trial by jury, compensation for all damages, plus interest, all costs and disbursements of the proceedings and all other equitable relief the court deems necessary. They are represented by attorneys M. Palmer Lambert, Robert J. David and Gerald E. Meunier of Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer LLC in New Orleans.

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-cv-02920

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