Practicing New York Attorney Found Liable for $26 Million for Exploitation of Client

Lawyer Howard Kleinhendler, then at Wachtel Missry, was found liable for both punitive and compensatory damages for allegedly taking advantage of 92-year-old plaintiff Allan Applestein, who has Alzheimer's.

September 24, 2024 at 07:11 PM

2 minute read

Legal Malpractice

By Emily Saul

What You Need to Know

Lawyer Howard Kleinhendler, then at Wachtel Missry, was found liable for both punitive and compensatory damages for allegedly taking advantage of 92-year-old plaintiff Allan Applestein.
The jury on Friday found Kleinhendler had committed fraud, legal malpractice and elder exploitation under Florida law.
Applestein, who has Alzheimer's disease, and his company sued Kleinhendler and Wachtel Missry in 2020, alleging malpractice.

A New York attorney must pay a nonagenarian former client more than $26 million after a federal jury found he committed legal malpractice by taking advantage of an ailing client to sell a valuable piece of land.

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