Burnett v. Sharp
Texas Court of Appeals for Houston
328 S.W.3d 594 (2010)
- Written by Rose VanHofwegen, JD
Facts
Charles Burnett (plaintiff) paid attorney David Sharp (defendant) a $3,000 retainer to represent Burnett in a criminal matter. After replacing Sharp with another attorney, Burnett sued Sharp for legal malpractice, seeking the return of any unearned portion of the $3,000 retainer and compensatory damages of $10,000. Specifically, Burnett asserted claims for breach of fiduciary duty, money had and received, conversion, negligence, and intentional misrepresentation, claiming Sharp had provided no legal services other than having Burnett’s case reset five times. Burnett said he and his family members called Sharp multiple times demanding return of the retainer, followed by a written demand, but Sharp never responded or returned the funds. The trial court dismissed Burnett’s claims as lacking any arguable basis in law. Burnett appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Frost, J.)
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