Complaint / Review
Christopher J. Olson - Sweeney, Mason, Wilson & Bosomworth
Ripoff, dishonest, lied to me to get me to sign a fee agreement

I met with Christopher Olson in August to discuss a landlord/tenant eviction dispute. It was an emergency situation where my landlord was retaliating against me by evicting me.

I explained the entire situation to Christopher Olson, including the FACT that I was never served with any type of court papers. Chris had me sign a fee agreement for $1000 retainer but failed to mention to me that he did not believe that I was NEVER served court papers.

In fact, his exact words in the email he sent to me shortly after were "... I spent nearly two hours on legal research alone later that night in an attempt to get you out of the predicament you got yourself into by ignoring the court
documents..."

My check for the $1000 retainer was returned to them in the meantime. I was taken to small claims court and they received a default judgement against me. I'll pay the money, and in fact, I have paid a little bit already, however, I have always maintained that I am doing so under extreme duress. He should NEVER have made me sign that fee agreement if he did not believe what I was telling him. He should not have hidden that from me - he should have been up front and honest about it. If he had, I would NEVER have signed that agreement. My situation was dire, but his unfair billing practices have only put me in a position where I must pay the bill.

I've also asked for a copy of the original bill, and I have not received it. The first copy they sent to me was taken from my car when it was broken into and my briefcase was stolen in September. I will gladly provide a copy of the police report to substantiate this if necessary. What I do know is that he also billed me for a consultation that he NEVER told me I would have to pay for. Not one time during our initial conversation did he tell me that I had to pay for it. He sat there, asked questions, took notes, kept me there for well over an hour and a half, and then proceeded to bill me for it.

I also plan on reporting this to the bar association. I'm sure I am stuck paying the judgement, but again, I will be doing so under duress.