A prominent attorney and his law firm are facing serious allegations of misconduct, including fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, from a former client. On December 9, 2024, Matthew Ray Thompson Jr. filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Anthony G. Buzbee and The Buzbee Law Firm. Thompson accuses the defendants of misappropriating funds meant for his medical and living expenses following an injury.
Matthew Ray Thompson Jr., a resident of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, claims that Anthony G. Buzbee and his law firm exploited their attorney-client relationship to take over 60% of his Jones Act settlement. According to the complaint, the defendants allegedly overstated case expenses and converted maintenance-and-cure funds intended for Thompson's living and medical expenses into high-interest loans through Venmo transactions. These actions reportedly left Thompson struggling financially while recovering from injuries sustained as a deckhand in July 2023 when a vessel he was on struck a barge in the Houston Ship Channel.
Thompson alleges that The Buzbee Law Firm used vague descriptions and scant documentation in their settlement statement to conceal where more than 63% of his recovery went. He further claims that he was required to travel unnecessarily from Louisiana to Texas to see doctors selected by the defendants, incurring additional expenses disguised as loans or travel costs on the settlement statement.
The lawsuit also highlights similar alleged misconduct by Buzbee and his firm with other clients, particularly injured seamen like Guadalupe Garza and Laquille Tyner. In these cases, maintenance-and-cure payments were reportedly redirected to The Buzbee Law Firm's business account rather than being properly managed in trust accounts or distributed to clients as intended.
Thompson is seeking judgment against Anthony G. Buzbee and The Buzbee Law Firm for actual damages, punitive damages, statutory damages, attorneys' fees, expert fees, court costs, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court. His legal representation includes Tim Porter from Porter Malouf P.A., with Kelley Berry from Berry & Munn P.A. serving as lead counsel.
The case is presided over by judges from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana under Case ID 2:24-cv-02827.