| Attorney Thomas |
| Attorney Thomas H. Bornhorst, Esq. I paid this crook $1030.00 to file a chapter 7 bankruptcy and he did absolutely nothing at all. Edgewood, Maryland |
| 29th of Apr, 2011 by User467938 |
| I consulted with and hired Attorney Thomas H. Bornhorst to file a chapter 7 bankruptcy for me. Initially he gave me good advise and recommendations. We meet in January for the first time and he completed a means test to see if I met the quidelines for a chapter 7 or not. He said according to the infomation I gave him I did qualify and he would be willing to take the case. He talked a lot about his professional history and that he had been doing this type of service for several years. I left his office thinking he was an honest and reputable attorney but checked with the Maryland Bar Association to see if they had ever recieved a complaint about him. I was told that no they had not recieved any complaints and they also told me the year he was first licensed to practice in the state of Maryland. I made it clear to Mr. Bornhorst that my salary had been garnished and my employer was taking 25% of my net pay each day. I also told him this had caused me to have difficulty paying my monthly living expenses and take care of my son who lives with me. He said he understood and also assurred me that he could get the money that had been taken from me due to the garnishment back once the case was filed. I returned to his office and paid him $30.00 cash to pull my credit report, a procedure that is apparently part of the process when you file bankruptcy. After reviewing the information on the report and explaining some of the entries to him he said we could move to the next phase. I was given a reciept that showed me paying him $30.00 cash and it indicated that I had a balance due of $1799.00 because the entire amount for the case would be $1829.00. We made a verbal agreement and I was given a purple folder with various forms to complete with instructions and told to return them to him along with money to begin the filing. I went to my apartment and begin to gather delinquent bills and other court documents and compiled my list of creditors which was rather long (approximately 5 or 6 pages). I returned to Mr. Bornhorst office on March 22 after I left my office to give him the paperwork I had completed. I also gave him a certified cashiers check from my credit union for $1000.00. He took my paperwork, gave me a reciept showing a balance due of $799.00 and said that was enough for him to begin the process. I thanked him for his help and told him I would meet with him again in a week or two to see how things were progressing and to pay him the balance due on my account. Now looking back on that day I should have probably not have given him anything. My reason for saying this is while at his office I noticed how extremely unorganized he was and asked him what happened to his secretary. He mumbled something about her no longer working there. I also noticed there was a large hole in the side window as if someone had threw a brick or something through it. I asked about that he said,"this is a bad neighborhood and I am moving back to Baltimore". I asked him where his new office would be and he said he was going to be working out of his home. After not hearing from Mr. Bornhorst for two weeks and recieving my calls returned after leaving several voice messages I decided to stop by his office on April 1 in the evening. When I arrived Mr. Bornhorst and another man were leaving his office. I approached him and he asked me "yes, who are you"? I knew immediately that something was wrong and that this guy was up to no good. I told him that I was the man who gave him $1000.00 a couple of weeks ago to file a bankruptcy for me and was wondering what had he done so far. He replied by telling me he had been in court and at a bank all day and that he had some type of problem that would not allow him to file any cases until after April 15. I asked him what that had to do with me and why he had not returned any of my phone calls. He said something that did not make sense about his phone not working properly but by now I had concluded that this man is a "damn crook who thinks I am stupid". I told him I would talk to him soon and left and went to the Planet Fitness to workout. About an hour later I called him and told him I wanted my money and documents back because I could not wait for another two weeks to get this done. He said that he could not afford to give me any money back and not to worry because he had given my case to a friend he knew in Baltimore and she would be handling my case. On April 14 I called him on his cell phone and he answered and once again I asked him what was going on with my case. He went on to say he did not think he was going to be given permission by the court to file any cases because he had neglected to file his annual fees with the Maryland Bar Association for this year. I told him how disappointed I was and that I was becoming very frustrated with his actions and how he had treated me. I also asked him again to simply give me my money and documents back but he said he did not have any money and that he wished something he could do to help me but he could not. I told him I was going to stop by his office the next day, April 15 with a letter indicating he was being fired as my attorney and that I expected him to return everything I had given him to me including the $1000.00. I got off the phone and talked with my son about what was going on and how I wanted to go to his office and confront him but if I did I could not be sure I wouldn't do something that I would regret later. Instead, I went to my bedroom and talked to God about this situation. I am a staff chaplain with the Department of Veteran Affairs and utilize the spiritual discipline of prayer to deal with my stressors in life. The following day at about 4:15 pm while driving from my office my cell phone rang and it was Bornhorst. He asked if I was yet coming by his office and I replied by telling him I was but only if he had my money and paperwork for me. He said he had them but he wanted to see if he could work out a deal with me. I hung up and begin to pray asking God for guidance and direction because I was furious and wanted to act like the professional I am. I decided to go by my apartment and have my son, Patrick, go to his office with me because I felt the need to have a witness beccause I did not trust Bornhorst and also because if Patrick was with me I would make sure I would not do something to jepordize my freedom. When we arrived at the office I gave Mr. Bornhorst the letter indicating I no longer wanted him as my attorney and asking for my money and documentation. He told me he was officially disbarred and that he had a friend that could file the paperwork for me. He also had a checkbook on his desk and said he had enough money left in his account to pay my filing fee which was $299.00. I told him that I was not intrested in doing any further business with him, that I did not trust him or believe anything he said and that he should be glad I was no longer the Percy I used to be because if I was we would not be having this conversation. I continued to remain calm and think about how not to stoop to this crooks level and act like him. I also told him that I believed he had some personal issues with either drugs or alcohol or some type of self-destructive habit and that he should seek professional help. He finally gave me my folder with the documents in it and I left his office. I have filed formal complaint with the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland and also the Client Protection Fund of the Bar of Maryland but I want the public to know just what type of person Thomas H. Bornhorst is and my financial condition is worst now than it was when I first met him. Thanks for your time and for listening to me. |
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| Same thing happened to me. He just told me to "wait to file" for various reasons. I am out $1599 |
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