NEW ORLEANS – A Jefferson Parish man says the company he hired to prepare his divorce petition and related documents, 1Eighty Labs, illegally did so because it is not licensed to practice law in the state of Louisiana.
Anthony Lowery filed a class-action lawsuit Jan. 14 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against 1Eighty Labs Inc., alleging fraud. The class includes those using the service since 2006, the suit states.
According to the complaint, 1Eighty Labs charges customers $299 to prepare legal documents for divorces using answers litigants input into the company’s website, completecase.com. However, the suit says the service constitutes a null contract under state law because the defendant is not licensed to practice in Louisiana. On that basis, and because the website allegedly misrepresents its ability to prepare legally valid documents, the suit seeks a refund for all who have used the service.
Lowery and the other plaintiffs admitted to the class seek damages in excess of $5 million. They are represented by two New Orleans attorneys: Roberto L. Costales of the Costales Law Office and William H. Beaumont of William H. Beaumont Law.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-cv-00352