Steusloff Estate Files Georgia Legal Malpractice Lawsuit

• The estate of Thomas Steusloff in Georgia has filed a legal malpractice lawsuit against its former trial counsel.
• This action follows a $5.6 million personal injury verdict against the estate and Steusloff's wife in a dog bite case.
• The complaint alleges that attorneys failed to communicate a $1.4 million settlement offer to their clients.
• It also claims a conflict of interest, stating attorneys represented only the wife while purporting to represent the deceased's estate.
• The estate is seeking $4.2 million, representing its share of the verdict, plus an additional $2 million in attorney fees.

The lawsuit alleges that the defense team failed to inform the clients of a $1.4 million settlement offer from the plaintiffs and simultaneously neglected to properly establish Steusloff's estate, continuing to claim representation of the deceased owner while only truly representing his surviving spouse.

The estate of a Georgia dog owner, Thomas Steusloff, has initiated a legal malpractice action against the attorneys who represented it in a prior personal injury lawsuit. This significant legal challenge targets Chandelle Summer of the Summer Law Group, alongside a team of lawyers from Bovis, Kyle, Burch & Medlin. The core of the complaint centers on alleged professional negligence during the defense of a personal injury claim that ultimately resulted in a substantial $5.6 million verdict against the estate and Steusloff's surviving spouse.

This legal malpractice lawsuit, filed in Hall County Superior Court in Georgia, contends that the trial counsel's actions and omissions directly contributed to the adverse outcome in the underlying dog bite case. The estate administrator is seeking to recover damages stemming from the original verdict, asserting that the legal representation provided fell below the expected standard of care.

The original litigation involved a woman who sustained serious injuries from a dog attack. The defendant in that case, Thomas Steusloff, passed away before the personal injury trial commenced. Consequently, the lawsuit proceeded against his estate and his wife, Jean Steusloff. The jury ultimately rendered a multimillion-dollar verdict, specifically $5.6 million, against both the deceased owner's estate and his widow.

Initially, both Thomas Steusloff and his wife were represented by the same defense team. However, following the unfavorable verdict, the couple each secured independent legal counsel to pursue separate appeals. This separation of representation occurred after the trial phase, which is now the subject of the malpractice allegations.

The malpractice complaint outlines two primary failures on the part of the defense team. Firstly, it alleges a critical failure to communicate a settlement offer. According to the filing, the plaintiffs in the dog bite case had extended a $1.4 million offer of settlement, which the defense attorneys purportedly neglected to convey to their clients. This alleged omission deprived the estate and Mrs. Steusloff of the opportunity to consider resolving the case for a significantly lower amount than the eventual verdict.

Secondly, the lawsuit alleges that the defense team failed to inform the clients of a $1.4 million settlement offer from the plaintiffs and simultaneously neglected to properly establish Steusloff's estate, continuing to claim representation of the deceased owner while only truly representing his surviving spouse. This alleged attorney negligence regarding estate representation conflict of interest forms a central pillar of the malpractice claim.

The Steusloff estate is seeking significant financial compensation through this legal malpractice lawsuit. The complaint specifically requests that the Hall County Superior Court award $4.2 million, which represents Thomas Steusloff's share of the original $5.6 million verdict. In addition to this amount, the estate is also seeking to recover an estimated $2 million in attorney fees that the trial court subsequently awarded to the dog bite plaintiffs.

The total damages sought underscore the severe financial repercussions that can arise from alleged attorney negligence, particularly in complex cases involving estates and multiple defendants. This action highlights the critical importance of diligent client communication, especially concerning settlement offers, and meticulous attention to potential conflicts of interest in legal representation.

Lawyers and compliance officers should review their internal procedures for communicating settlement offers to clients and ensure robust conflict-of-interest checks, particularly when representing multiple parties (e.g., an estate and a surviving spouse) in litigation, as failure to do so can lead to significant malpractice exposure and damages.

Source: Facts from original reporting.