Below is my complaint I have sent to the State Bar & Professional Liability Commission, an invetigation is pending at this time! What you read below should cover most or all of the complaints I had with Mr. Greg Oliveros/Attorney at law. I hope this will keep others from dealing with such a dishonest lawyer, that's has deffenitly left me with no other choice then to file a Malpractice suit against Mr. Oliveros!
Number 1: Mr. Oliveros refused/neglected to bring in witnesses and a Private Detective that would have been able to testify my wife and other members took valuables off the homestead at a time when I was in jail due to false accusations made by my wife. My wife stated during trial these items never exsisted and it ended up being my word only against my wife and other family members. When I had witnesses that were renting out rooms in the home that witness my wife and other members empty the home of all it's valuable contents. Later these same 5 witnesses gave testimony to a Private Detective also stating they watched my wife fill up a couple vehicles with our personal property. Mr. Oliveros told me these witnesses would be irrelevant to my case and wouldn't be needed to prove this in fact did happen and that these items were taken!
Number 2: Mr. Oliveros refused to ask the courts for temporary support for me, even though I had gone to Mr. Oliveros's office numerous times in tears telling Mr. Oliveros I Had no money to live on and no place to live that had heat. At the time I was living on and off of the streets in my Motor home and after several months a neighbor of mine moved to another location that allowed me to park my motor home in his back yard. But I had no money for propane to heat myself or to cook any food. At the time I parked the motor home, the engine had also broken down and was no longer drivable. My wife had all of our other vehicles. A 1977 Jeep CJ5 that I was forced to leave on the property and take my motor home to live in. Also an Oldsmobile, and a 1979 Honda Goldwing, all of which were drivable and in my wife's possession. Mr. Oliveros told me on several occasions that there was nothing he could do legally to get me any temporary spousal support or to be able to get me any one of my 3 vehicles in my wife's possession! I was therefore forced for many months to live in my motor home with no heat, no ability to cook food, and no transportation of my own to go anywhere. I had to walk to all my Doctor appointments or any place else I needed to go. Unless I could find someone to drive me, which wasn't very often I could find help! Mr. Oliveros was well aware of my health condition and my living conditions, still Mr. Oliveros kept telling me legally there was nothing he could do to get me any help from my wife thru the courts! Now that the Judge's decision is handed down, The Judge states she denies my claim partly due to the fact that I never asked for any temporary spousal support! The Judge was never made aware of the fact that I actually did ask for temporary spousal support on several different occasions, Mr. Oliveros just led me to believe it wasn't available to me and there was nothing Mr. Oliveros could do about it!
Number 3: I was self employed as a cabinet maker and had 2 Kitchen jobs pending when I got ill to the point I could no longer work. My wife stated all along I finished these jobs after I filed for Social Security benifits. I told Mr. Oliveros this also would come up in court. I told Mr. Oliveros I wanted my contractors to testify for me that I never finished their jobs and they had to come and pick up their materials to take it all to another cabinet maker to get their kitchens finished. Mr. Oliveros again refused to bring these witnesses forward, stating they wouldn't be needed to prove I can't work! That my doctor's and Social Security's statements saying I can't work would be more then enough to prove my disability and reason to grant my spousal support award. The next to the last day of the trial, Mr. Oliveros then informs me I should get these contractors to testify after all. Being it was such short notice neither contractor could come or be contacted in time to make it to my last hearing. I was able to get a letter from one contractor stating this information. Which Mr. Oliveros told me he'd present to the Judge. This also was never presented! This also was another reason the Judge ruled against my spousal support award, stating their was evidence I finished these jobs from payments being paid to me in my company check book. I did take in the money and ordered materials, with the promise I'd have help from my wife and kids doing these jobs. When I learned my wife lied to me and I was on my own to finish these jobs. I had to tell my contractors I couldn't do their jobs and that they'd have to get another shop to do the work. I actually left these contractors owing them money being I never finished their work! But being these contractors never testified, the Judge didn't believe I was telling the truth!
Number 4: Mr. Oliveros neglected to present evidence regarding my health condition to the Judge at the time I went to trial. Mr. Oliveros required me at the time I hired him to go to a specialist for testing to see what my real ability to work would be? Mr. Oliveros then sent me to Northwest Occupational Medicine Center. I failed every test that I was given, made stop before any test was finished due to the fact that my heart rate increased too high and was dangerous for me to continue! There also were test given to see if I might be faking my condition? It was determined I was not faking my tests results! Mr. Oliveros told me to not say anything about this test while I was on the stand giving my testimony! That Mr. Oliveros wanted to save this test results till the very end to give to the Judge as a surprise for my wife's attorney to have to deal with! But at no time did Mr. Oliveros ever present this test to the Judge. This test also cost me around $800.00 and Mr. Oliveros neglects to give it to the Judge! I believe this test also would of went a long way to proving my illness and that I'm not faking my condition as my wife and her witnesses stated! Unfortunately Mr. Oliveros refused/neglected to bring in my witnesses that see me day to day on a 24/7 basis, that would of testified to my real condition of my health!
Number 5: Mr. Oliveros refused to defend me on several accusations my wife made to my character. Mr. Oliveros stated to me before trial and during the trial that he wasn't going to respond to my wife and her attorney's mud slinging! That my wife's statements I abused her, our and other children, committed insurance fraud and so on, was irrelevant to my divorce case and the Judge wouldn't accept any of that type of testimony against me! I had already gone thru a couple other trials regarding these same matters with my wife. I expected this to be presented at the time I went to trial for my divorce and told Mr. Oliveros I had evidence and/or witnesses to prove my wife was lying! I had already been either proven not guilty or charges were dropped against me when the D.A. Learned the truth that my wife had in fact lied! But again Mr. Oliveros refused to present any of this evidence to the Judge or call any of the witnesses to testify in my behalf as I asked Mr. Oliveros to do on numerous occasions!
Number 6: Mr. Oliveros made an agreement with me to do my divorce for a flat fee of $10,000.00. Which Mr. Oliveros had me sign 2 liens on my property to ensure his payment. At the time I was still fighting Social Security for my disability claim. Approx. 2 years after I hired Mr. Oliveros my claim was finally granted and I was awarded aprox. $20,000.00 in back payments. I went to Mr. Oliveros to see how this money would/might effect my divorce? Mr. Oliveros starts out telling me that my wife could take half of my settlement. BUT!!! If I was to spend this money before my divorce is put back on the docket, my wife would have no claim on any of the money or anything I would spend the money on! Then Mr. Oliveros suggested I give him this money as payment and he'd hold any extra money not coming to him and give it back to me after the divorce trial was over with. Therefore making the money look like it was all spent on my legal expenses to Mr. Oliveros to the Judge, but in fact stated he would give me back my extra $10,000.00 I in fact wouldn't actually owe!
I thought about Mr. Oliveros's offer and decided that since Mr. Oliveros had actually done nothing to help me get any of my vehicles or any support from my wife in the 2 years I was sitting with nothing to live on. I wrote Mr. Oliveros a letter stating that I felt if I had to get rid of this money! I would give it to the people that in fact did help me over that period of time! I also bought myself a car and a motorcycle for transportation since Mr. Oliveros stated over and over he couldn't get any of my personal vehicles from my wife during that time either! I had roughly $4,000.00 I had left that I trusted to a woman to hold in her bank account since I couldn't open an checking account myself at the time. This woman later refused to give me this money back! This same woman also forged several of my Social Security checks and put her bills in my name to avoid paying her own bills without my knowledge. I also told Mr. Oliveros about this when it happen! Anyway, when I get to my divorce trial. I learn in fact that Mr. Oliveros had lied to me about being able to spend this settlement to keep my wife from getting any of my settlement! I learned that in fact everything I bought was also made a part of the marital assets! I also learned that Mr. Oliveros actually had no idea if my wife had any claim on any of this money at all. It wasn't till my Social Security lawyer testified that in fact most of the settlement I got was money awarded after I had left my wife and therefore I actually could of kept all the money and had it put in a savings account. So there's a few different issues on this matter that Mr. Oliveros lied or misquoted the law to me!
Number 7: Mr. Oliveros lied to the Judge making statements regarding the sell of my home. Mr. Oliveros told the Judge that I refused to sell my home for the price that had been offered. This was not true! The Judge instructed the house be sold and for a realitor to be chosen by my wife and I. If neither my wife or I could come to a decision on the same realitor, then the Judge would make the decision from three realitors picked at random from my wife and I. My wife wanted a friend that was a realitor to handle the sell of our home. I told Mr. Oliveros that I wanted the Judge to pick a realitor that neither my wife nor I knew, that I couldn't trust a realitor that was a friend of my wife's! Mr. Oliveros never told my wife or her attorney what I had instructed him.instead I find out at the last moment I'm supposed to be in court over refusing to sell my home, being accused by my wife's attorney since Mr. Oliveros neglected to inform my wife's attorney I wanted a different realitor! Then this matter gets handled in the Judges chambers with only the attorney's present with the Judge. When the Judge comes out to the bench, I'm then warned by the Judge that if I refuse to sell my home again that the Judge will give all the equity in the home to my wife! But that the Judge had now agreed to allow Mr. Oliveros's realitor to sell my home! When I asked Mr. Oliveros after the trial was over what the heck is going on? Mr. Oliveros tells me not to complain, that he had just talked the Judge into letting him use his realitor for selling my home and his realitor will get thousands more for my house then what was originally offered. Mr. Oliveros did this without my permission or my knowledge of what he was planning to do? I believe Mr. Oliveros did this knowing full well if my home had sold for the original offer. There wouldn't of been enough equity in my home to pay his bill he was intending to submit to the Judge!
Number 8: Mr. Oliveros told me that when my wife filed a chapter 13 Bankruptcy, that it was illegal to go forward with my divorce. That my divorce had to be pulled off the docket! That I had no choice in the matter whatsoever! Believing Mr. Oliveros was telling me the truth at the time, I thought I had no choice but to wait the 6-7 years it would take for my wife's Bankruptcy to finalized. The only contact I had with my wife and her attorney at the time, was thru my attorney Mr. Oliveros! After several years had past, I ran into a old friend that still had contact with my wife. This friend asked me why I was delaying my divorce? Why didn't I just get it over with and let both my wife and I go on to live our separate lives? I told my friend that my lawyer (Mr. Oliveros) had told me it was illegal to go forward with the divorce till my wife's bankruptcy was final. My friend then tells me that my wife and her attorney had been going to court on several occasions trying to get my divorce back on the docket. But that my attorney kept going to court and legally stopping the divorce from going forward. I went to Mr. Oliveros's office the next day to ask him about this matter! I told Mr. Oliveros that my friend had said he was delaying my divorce! Mr. Oliveros denied this, stated that he had done nothing to keep my wife or her attorney from moving forward with the divorce if they had choose to! That he'd have no reason for doing so! I know learn thru the Judge's decision, that in fact Mr. Oliveros did go before the court on numerous occasions stopping my wife and her attorney from allowing my divorce to go forward before the Bankruptcy was final! Mr. Oliveros didn't push to get this divorce on the docket till I showed up on his door step feed up to be tied that something had to come to a end with this divorce! I wasn't going to be living on street corners or having people used and abuse me cause they knew I had no other choice but to put up with it! Either this divorce was going forward somehow or I was walking away from the whole thing and giving up completely! Suddenily Mr. Oliveros states that my wife's bankruptcy is so close to being over with, that he can get it back on the docket now! Truth was, Mr. Oliveros could of got this divorce back on the docket a long time ago. My wife wanted it over, I wanted it over, but being I wasn't communicating with my wife and only had Mr. Oliveros for information. Mr. Oliveros took it upon himself to keep delaying my divorce without my knowledge or my permission!
Number 9: As I stated above, Mr. Oliveros agreed to handle my divorce for a flat fee of $10,000.00. Mr. Oliveros accepted 2 liens on my property as payment in full, as Mr. Oliveros verbally stated to me! Mr. Oliveros then tells me I'll still be receiving bills from him, but instructs me to ignores his bills since he'll be paid thru these liens. Which I did ignore Mr. Oliveros bills as he instructed me to do! Then one day I was in Mr. Oliveros's office and Mr. Oliveros states I now owe him over $15,000.00! I reminded Mr. Oliveros of our agreement, that he stated he'd handle my divorce for a flat fee of $10,000.00. Mr. Oliveros then states it cause he's charging me interests on this $10,000.00 till he's actually paid thru the house being sold. I again remind Mr. Oliveros that at no time did he tell me he'd be charging any interest and that he had told me to ignore my bills being that $10,000.00 in liens would be considered payment in full! At that time I did threatened to get the State Bar involved in the matter. Mr. Oliveros then agreed that he'd drop all the interest fees and go back to our original agreement of only the flat fee being paid. Mr. Oliveros then gave my another written agreement stating he'd waive all interest owed. But at that point I started paying attention to my bills I got from Mr. Oliveros. I noticed the billing had never been changed back to our original agreement! I went to Mr. Oliveros's office regarding this matter on several occasions, as well as wrote letters to Mr. Oliveros! Mr. Oliveros only responded to this matter verbally, telling me not to worry about his bill. That he'll get it straightened out before his bill goes to the Judge! During the trial when I learned more of all the lies Mr. Oliveros had told me. I again went to Mr. Oliveros's office to complain. I again brought up the bill not being straightened out and that it still states I owe somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000.00 more then it should be! Mr. Oliveros told me he'd have his secetary get it corrected right away! I later received a letter from Mr. Oliveros assistant stating she couldn't understand where I was getting this extra $20,000.00 I wasn't supposed to be charged? Again I go to Mr. Oliveros office to complain! Mr. Oliveros again tells me he'll get it straightened out right away! From that point on I didn't receive any more bills from Mr. Oliveros until after the trial. When I find out in fact that Mr. Oliveros is now trying to charge me over $52,000.00 in fees!
During this last 5-6 years, Mr. Oliveros has asked me on several different occasions to sign more leins against my property. The first time I was asked I flat refused! Some time later Mr. Oliveros told me that the original liens somehow had the wrong address of my property on them and therefore were no good to him. That he needed me to resign 2 new liens with the right address. Which I did do! Then when my trial was extended past the original dead line. Mr. Oliveros again called me into his office asking me again to sign more liens against my property. Again I refused! Mr. Oliveros then threatened if I didn't sign the liens that he'd quit representing me before the trial was over and leave me to handle my divorce on my own! I felt I was forced into signing these liens against my will. But Mr. Oliveros also stated these liens actually wouldn't be used for any money being taken out of my share of the equity. That in fact my wife would have to pay my attorney fees being I had such a strong case and that my wife should of settled out of court and refused to. That the Judge would be awarding attorney fees to be paid by my wife. That these liens would just guarantee he got paid by my wife!
Number 10: Throughout the time I've hired Mr. Olveros, making complaints and so forth about how he's handled my divorce and refusing to bring in witnesses and/or evidence to the Judge. Mr. Oliveros told me over and over on numerous occasions that he'd appeal the Judge's decision if he was wrong and I lost my divorce case to my wife! When the Judge stated my wife would be keeping all the assets in her possession, Mr. Oliveros stated them to me that he'd do my appeal for free if the Judge didn't award my spousal support claim! Then when the Judge did make her decision, denying my spousal support. Mr. Oliveros calls me into his office and hands me a letter and leaves the room. Stating he couldn't stay and talk to me, he had other things he had to do! I open his letter to read that he doesn't do appeals.instead refers me to talk to another attorney that does appeals. Mr. Oliveros knew all along he didn't do appeals, yet he led me to believe he did and that I would be allowed to bring in other witnesses and evidence during an appeal trial. I now find out none of that is the truth either and there's no way I'm going to prove to a judge now with just the evidence Mr. Oliveros presented in trial. Nor do I have the money for an appeal trial, being Mr. Oliveros instructed me to spend all the money I got out of my settlement! If I had been made aware of the actual truth of what the laws were, I would not of allowed Mr. Oliveros to follow thru with my divorce. Nor would I of took Mr. Oliveros's advice on a thing!
Number 11: Mr. Oliveros neglects to inform me of trial dates and times.in most cases I wasn't informed at all until the day before trial and at least on two different occasions I was never informed at all. I only found out there was a trial after the fact, when I called Mr. Oliveros's office and his assistant told me that Mr. Oliveros was in front of the Judge at that very moment regarding my divorce. Mr. Oliveros did not call me or ask what I may or may not what dome in my behalf or ever tell me what the matter was about? Due to not ever getting any early notices of my trial dates, I was forced to over dose myself on methadone to somewhat control my pain problems. Taking methadone makes me very drowsy for several hours and my mind is anything but clear during that time. But after a few hours I'll be able to act fairly normal as if my health is in good condition for several hours! Mr. Oliveros knew all this and never once explained any of it to the Judge or allowed me to explain either!
Number 12: I also informed Mr. Oliveros that my girl friend, that was also to testify in my behalf. Was approached by a man at her place of work and this man told my girl friend her life was in danger! That she needed to contact my wife's attorney right away before she testifies! Mr. Oliveros again said this was legal and there was nothing he can do, nor would the Judge listen to what happen! This wasn't the first time my witnesses were threatened or attacked in some other way after testifying in my behalf. I believe this also should have been made aware of to the Judge, but again Mr. Oliveros refused!
Number 13: I had a change of address I gave to Mr. Oliveros to start sending me my mail to, this was a few months before the Judges decission was made and Mr. Oliveros had sent several letters to my new address. Yet Mr. Oliveros never informed my wife's attorney nor the courts of my new address. When Mr. Oliveros declined to be my attorney and my wife's attorney and/or the courts sent me any letters. Both the courts and my Wife's attorney sent their letters to my old P.O. Box address. Therefore my mail was delayed getting to my correct address. One of these letter was the divorce agreement written by my wife's attorney, that I only has a week to respond to! I didn't receive the letter till 3 days after the dead line had past. Therefore I wasn't allowed by the Judge to object to any of these divorce agreements made by my wife's attorney!
I'd also like to note, When I confronted Mr. Oliveros about lying to me regarding my spousal support award and being able to spend the money to avoid having to give it to my wife. Mr. Oliveros did not deny he lied, Mr. Oliveros in fact stated (I quote) Well, I guess I'll just have to take the hit for that one! (Unquote) Then refused to discuss the matter any more or to make amens for his actions!
After the Judge allowed my wife to keep all the assets in her possession, as we were leaving the court room. I was complaining how Mr. Oliveros refused to bring in my witnesses and evidence that would of made the Judge's decision turn out more in my favor. (In my opinion) Mr. Oliveros stated to me that he would in fact lower his fees I'd owe him. Mr. Oliveros stated he would do this for not following my directions and being wrong that he failed in getting my marital assets as he said he repeatily promised he would! Everytime I complained or told Mr. Oliveros I wanted certain witnesses or evidence presented to the Judge, Mr. Oliveros kept responding to me that he was the lawyer and knew what he was doing! That he'd get my assets and spousal support award for me and I had nothing to worry about! But again this was just another lie Mr. Oliveros told me!
Mr. Oliveros set me up to loose this trial in more ways then one and in the process trying to make sure he took as much money from me as he possible could in the process! I have suffered greatly during all this time, which I wouldn't of have if Mr. Oliveros would of told the truth, quoted the actual laws, and actually had my best interest at heart or done anything I was supposedly paying him to do! There was no reason I shouldn't of been awarded temporary spousal support, certainly no reason Mr. Oliveros shouldn't of tried to get a Judge to award it to me! There's no reason I shouldn't of been able to get at least one of the vehicles in my wife's possession either! Nor I should be walking away empty handed from this divorce! These weren't even mistakes by Mr. Oliveros in my opinion, it was on purpose. Mr. Oliveros intended to do everything he did! I just hope who ever end up reading my complaint also sees I'm telling the truth and makes sure Mr. Oliveros never does this to anyone else again! From other attorney's I've talk to regarding this matter since this happen to me. I've been told that I'm far from being the first that Mr. Oliveros has lied to or pulled other under handed tricks on! Maybe you've already had other complaints regarding Mr. Oliveros? As I stated above, I don't have much of an education. I tried my best to explain everything, but I'm sure I missed some details too! With all that's transpired, the amount of time that's gone by. It's very hard to remember everything on a moment's notice, while writing a letter. Other details may come to me at a later time too?
Gale
Portland, Oregon
U.S.A.
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