Cook County Record-
© 2010-19 FORECLOSURE FRAUD | by DinSFLA. All rights reserved.A state appeals panel determined lawyers have no ability to keep from a court the identity of third parties paying legal bills for a client contesting attempts to uncover assets as part of an effort to enforce a judgment.
Michael Margules, Edward Amaral and Mosholou, Inc., registered a 2017 California Superior Court judgment of $1.675 million against John Beckstedt and When 2 Trade Group LLC in Cook County and filed citations to discover assets. When they didn’t like the response to the citations, they issued a third-party citation to discover assets against Richard Steck, the lawyer for Beckstedt and When 2 Trade, specifically seeking to discover who was paying for Steck’s services.
Steck said a third party had asked him to represent the debtors, and declined to reveal that party’s identity, citing both attorney-client privilege and the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct. Margules, Amaral and Mosholu then asked Cook County Judge Michael Otto to force Steck to name the third party. Otto granted that motion and held Steck in contempt. He levied a fine of $25 per day until Steck complied with the ruling. Steck moved to reconsider, prompting Otto to stay the contempt order pending his anticipated appeal to the First District Illinois Appellate Court.
[COOK COUNTY RECORD]
