The State Bar of California has filed disciplinary charges against a career eviction attorney in Burbank for alleged legal misconduct in real estate deals.
Dennis Block, who has made his name working for Southern California landlords looking to boot their tenants out of units, faces 10 charges involving a series of clients over several years, LAist reported.
Block allegedly collected payments that were falsely described as “non-refundable,” did not account for his fees and did not return a client’s property in a timely manner after a termination of employment, according to LAist. In one instance, Block reportedly didn’t pay court sanctions on time, while in another, he created a conflict of interest by representing both a tenant and her landlord.
Charging “non-refundable” fees would violate bar regulations that such fees must constitute a “true retainer,” or money paid to reserve an attorney’s availability for a specific case or period of time, per LAist. Former clients have reportedly claimed poor communication and a lack of availability from Block and his affiliates. Block once reportedly referred to himself as “a man who has evicted more tenants than any other human being on the planet Earth,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
“While we cannot comment on the specifics of the case, we believe the matter will be resolved in Mr. Block’s favor prior to trial at the settlement conference,” Block’s defense attorney, Erin Joyce, said.
The California State Bar Court could impose punishments like a brief suspension or an order to complete an ethics exam, or choose to disbar Block entirely. A status conference in court regarding Block’s current charges from the bar is slated for Feb. 9.
In another case in 2023, Block’s firm reportedly submitted a filing related to an eviction case that repeatedly referenced fake case law, which LAist reported could have been produced through a misuse of artificial intelligence software. Block’s firm was ordered to pay the tenant’s law firm $999.— Chris Malone Méndez
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