Vasquez’ Attorney in Hews Defamation Case Suspended Twice for Two Years, Court Said She ‘Significantly Harmed Client’

 

 

Staff Report

Hews Media Group-Community News has found that the attorney representing Central Basin (CB) Director Leticia Vasquez in a defamation lawsuit against HMG-CN Publisher Brian Hews has an sordid legal history as a California attorney.

It is another in a long line of questionable contract employment choices by Vasquez.

HMG-CN was first to report, in its award-wining Dirty Water series, that Vasquez used convicted felons Ricardo “Ric” Mayer and Angel Gonzales to run her 2012 Central Basin campaign. After their election, Vasquez owed Gonzalez and Mayer more than $18,000.

 

 DIRTY WATER: Central Basin Municipal Water Board Director Campaigns Financed by Convicted Felon

 

Recently obtained 2016 campaign documents show that Vazquez once again used Gonzales for her CB re-election campaign, this time paying Gonzales over $33,000.

 

Document showing Vasquez paid Angel Gonzales $10,000 for consulting fees, click on image to view addition campaign documents.

 

__________________________________________

Vasquez Chooses Noted Civil Rights Attorney

Vasquez’ perplexing choice was Los Angeles based attorney Nana Gyamfi.

Online California Sate Bar documents show that Gyamfi was admitted to the State Bar in 1994 with a current address of 7526 Crenshaw, at the corner of 76th and Crenshaw, in South Central Los Angeles.

A simple internet search of the Crenshaw address found a picture of Gyamfi’s office showing brown paper covering the front windows and the letter “L” missing from the words LAW OFFICE above the door that faces Crenshaw. A phone call confirmed Gyamfi occupies the office.

 

 

Gyamfi’s office located at Crenshaw and 76th street in Los Angeles.

 

 

Searching “Nana Gyamfi attorney” on Google shows that in every story (URL) on the first four Google pages, Gyamfi is listed or described as a “Civil Rights” attorney, and heavily promotes herself as a fighter for indigent residents.

Additional evidence that Gyamfi is a civi rights attorney could be found in print and online.

An April 2017 LA Weekly article headline cited Gyamfi as a “Civil Rights Attorney.”

25 Years After the Riots: A Civil Rights Attorney Recalls Grinning Through the Chaos

 

Dominique DiPrima, an Emmy-winning talk show host and a frequent contributor to Gyamfi’s social media platforms, describes her as “a human and civil rights attorney with a specialty in criminal defense since 1994.”

Nana Gyamfi  has been a human and civil rights attorney since 1994

 

In a CBS Los Angles “This Morning” interview in July 2016, Gyamfi was described by CBS anchors Rick Garcia and Sharon Tay as a “L.A. Civil Rights Attorney.”

 

 

 

 

Finally, Gyamfi’s own Facebook page states, “….attorney Nana Gyamfi and her associates provide services to thousands of low-income residents in the greater Los Angeles area on a non-discriminatory basis, promoting programs providing legal aid to indigent persons.”

 

Click on image to view Gyamfi’s Facebook page.

 

__________________________________________

State Bar Violations

But it is information that HMG-CN found on the California State Bar Attorney Search page that will elicit additional criticism and questions as to why Vasquez hired Gyamfi given her repeated Bar violations and given her status as a known civil rights attorney to litigate the defamation case.

Those State Bar documents show that Gyamfi has been suspended several times since 1994; twice for a period of two years due to significant disciplinary violations; six for administrative violations.

Gyamfi’s violations started just one year after her bar admittance, when she was suspended in 1995 for failing to comply with the Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) as required by the State Bar. Attorneys are not allowed by the Bar to practice while suspended.

 

Gyamfi’s State Bar Page showing several violations-

The State Bar listing of Gyamfi’s violations and suspensions, click on image to view larger document.

 

 

 

Gyamfi once again violated the MCLE requirements in 2001 and 2013.

In addition, Gyamfi was suspended for failing to pay the required annual State Bar fee four times in 2001, ’03, ’09, and ’13. The annual fee is $430 and attorneys are allowed 45 days to pay, with warning notices giving the offender another 45 days to comply, for a total of 90 days.

__________________________________________

Serious Violations in 2006 and 2010

Further research showed more serious violations with court documents describing Gyamfi as “significantly harming the client, and committing multiple acts of misconduct.”

In April of 2006 Gyamfi stipulated – also known as agreed – to violating nine counts of the Business and Professions Code (BPC) and was suspended and placed on probation for two years.

Gyamfi stipulated to two violations of the BPC, taking on two criminal cases in 1996 and 2001 for, “engaging in the unauthorized practice of law while State Bar suspended.”

Gyamfi also stipulated to three violations of the BPC for failing to promptly refund unearned fees in three cases she took on while suspended; attorneys cannot take fees while suspended.

In the case, the court documents stated Gyamfi, “significantly harmed a client, the public, or the administration of justice.”

The documents went on to say, “[Gyamfi’s] current conduct evidences multiple acts of wrongdoing. [Gyamfi] engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, failed to refund fees, and intentionally, recklessly, or repeatedly failed to perform legal services competently.”

Gymafi was ordered to give $7,000 back to clients she took the money from.

She negotiated a monthly payment plan to the three clients at $200, $200, and $100 per month until paid off.

She was also ordered to attend State Bar Ethics courses.

 

 

Click on image to view actual court documents.

 

__________________________________________

Additional Violations

In Oct 2010, Gyamfi was once again suspended for two years for additional offenses committed in a 2005 criminal case.

Gyamfi represented a man who was sentenced to 30 years, violating the three strikes law, taking $7,000 as prepayment.

After she received the $7,000, Gyamfi hired attorney Anthony Gaston who did the bulk of the work in trying to get the man’s sentence reduced.

Like Gyamfi, Gaston had been suspended several times in the 90’s and was actually under suspension when Gyamfi hired him.

In their ruling the court said, “by not serving written notice to the State Bar of her employment of Gaston, [Gyamfi] willfully employed a person that she knew or reasonably should have known was a suspended member of the State Bar in willful violation of the requirements of rule 1-311 (D) of the Rules of Professional Conduct.”

Gyamfi was suspended for two years and fined $3,600.

 

 

Click on image to view actual court documents.

 

 

Why Did Vasquez Choose Gyamfi?

Husband and Attorney Ron Wilson “Volunteering” to Defend

The complaint provides no indication on why Vasquez chose Gyamfi, but certainly questions will swirl around Vasquez’ choice of a known civil rights attorney who is more comfortable defending criminals and indigents than litigating defamation lawsuits.

The answer might lie with her husband, attorney Ron Wilson.

An accomplished Harvard educated attorney, Wilson has acted as a lower-level process server delivering court documents while paying – using his personal credit card – to file motions on the court.

Wilson was also present at the July 20 court hearing standing next to Gyamfi while HMG-CN attorney Scott Talkov was talking to Gyamfi.

Further suggesting the connection of Mr. Wilson to the case, he has energetically engaged in lengthy communications to HMG-CN attorneys  arguing his legal points and opinions about the case involving his wife.

The public has to wonder if Wilson himself had questions about the overall merits of the case by refusing to put his name on the  lawsuit itself while litigating and acting as a process server in the background.

Further adding to the Wilson merit question, his wife waited 10 months to file the case, attached declarations taken eight months before the case was filed, and there is  no indication when Gyamfi was engaged.

 

Ron Wilson’s signature  on bottom of page