James Earl Defrantz was admitted to the California Bar 22nd September 1993, but is now resigned. James graduated from U of San Francisco SOL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | James Earl Defrantz |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 22 September 1993 (30 years, 7 months ago) |
| Status | Resigned |
| Bar Number | 165780 |
Contact
| Current Email | [email protected] |
|---|---|
| Phone Number | 510-862-2874 |
| Fax Number | 510-583-0124 |
Schools
| Law School | U of San Francisco SOL (San Francisco CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | Dartmouth Coll (Hanover NH) |
Address
| Current Address | 5957 Brown Ct Fontana, CA 92336-4516 |
|---|---|
| Map | |
| Previous Address | 2759 East Ave Hayward, CA 94541 |
History
| 15 March 2001 | Resigned (23 years, 1 month ago) Resignation with charges pending 01-Q-00032 |
|---|---|
| 2 January 2001 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (23 years, 4 months ago) Vol.inactive(tender of resign.w/charges) 01-Q-00032 |
| 5 October 2000 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (23 years, 6 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 97-O-12655 |
| 6 December 1999 | Active (24 years, 4 months ago) |
| 23 August 1999 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (24 years, 8 months ago) Suspended/Child & Fam Supp noncompliance |
| 22 September 1993 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (30 years, 7 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
October 5, 2000 JAMES EARL DeFRANTZ [#165780], 42, of Hayward was suspended for three years, stayed, placed on probation for four years with an actual two year suspension, and was ordered to make restitution, prove his rehabilitation, take the MPRE and comply with rule 955. The order took effect Oct. 5, 2000. DeFrantz stipulated to 20 counts of misconduct in six consolidated cases. Many involved telling his clients he had taken various actions in their cases when in fact he had done no work. The misconduct included failure to perform legal services, communicate with clients, comply with court orders, return unearned fees, return client files, pay out client funds and place client funds in a client trust account. He also failed to pay three court-ordered sanctions and committed acts of moral turpitude.DeFrantz was hired by a client to handle a racial discrimination claim against the owners of her apartment building. Although he never filed a lawsuit, he falsely told his client he settled her case, received a judgment, prepared papers to levy the defendants’ bank accounts and provided papers to the sheriff to effectuate a levy. He also said the apartment owners were in bankruptcy and he would file necessary papers on his client’s behalf. He sent the client three checks from his personal accounts and represented them as settlement and bankruptcy payments.He never actually performed any legal services for his client.In another matter, DeFrantz was hired to obtain additional compensation for a client who had won a settlement of a personal injury case with a different attorney. The client did not cash the first settlement check because he believed it did not compensate him for his injuries. DeFrantz told the client the settlement draft would no longer be valid and the insurance company would likely stop payment, which in fact it did.Five months later, the statute of limitations expired.A month later, the client called DeFrantz, who said he was preparing a letter of demand and that the client still had time to file suit because the statute had not run. He then said he was unable to contact the client’s doctor and asked the client to send a copy of the check, which DeFrantz said he would send to the insurer so it could issue a new check.When the client called the insurer, he learned that DeFrantz never contacted the company and never filed suit. DeFrantz, however, told the client there was no problem with the statute of limitations and claimed he had sent the necessary paperwork to the insurer.He moved without telling the client and did not return his phone calls. When the State Bar made inquiries, he provided false information to an investigator. When DeFrantz finally contacted the insurance company, 14 months after he was hired, it refused to issue a new check.In three other matters, DeFrantz was sanctioned $9,500 for failing to make 24 court appearances.In mitigation, he cooperated with the bar’s investigation and agreed to the imposition of discipline without a hearing. |