A South African citizen who was working in Texas but says he was deported in July is seeking up to $1 million from immigration firm Foster LLP of Houston and partner Jose Perez in a legal malpractice lawsuit alleging they mishandled his permanent resident visa application.

Warren Miller alleges in the petition he filed on Sept. 8 in state district court in Harris County that as a result of the defendants' negligence and misconduct, he lost his job in the United States and had to take a much lower-paying job in the United Kingdom. He alleges he also had to put his house in Katy on the market and is obligated to pay for a leased car.

Miller, who is represented by plaintiffs attorney Lance Kassab of Kassab Law Firm of Houston, brings negligence and gross negligence causes of action against the defendants, and alternatively, negligent misrepresentation. He is seeking actual damages of more than $500,000, exemplary damages, and emotional distress damages “due to defendants' gross negligence which resulted in him and his family being deported.”