A U.S. magistrate recommended that a federal court throw out a San Antonio law firm's claims against a former client, but keep moving on allegations of defamation and client-stealing by a California law firm.

The plaintiff, the Law Offices of Ernesto Martinez Jr. in San Antonio, claimed in the lawsuit that the defendants—Hellmich Law Group and Kennie Arriola and Associates—communicated false and disparaging allegations and improperly solicited the Martinez firm's clients to join the Hellmich firm in a “baseless and fraudulent claim” against Martinez. But Hellmich and Arriola denied the allegations.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Pamela A. Mathy of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in San Antonio wrote in the July 8 report and recommendations that Hellmich argued in a motion to dismiss that Martinez relied upon three communications that the firm sent. A group of Martinez's clients retained Hellmich to represent them in a billing dispute with Martinez, and Hellmich discussed bringing an arbitration action in his communications.