Small Business Owner’s Road to Physical and Financial Recovery Started with PLC, Latham & Watkins and Irell & Manella attorneys stepping up to save client’s business.
Tracy Brooks was desperate to find help for her partner Andy Quiocho. Andy was experiencing severe health problems that would eventually saddle the couple with $300,000 in medical bills. As if that was not enough, Andy’s concrete business was in trouble after the general contractor of a Los Angeles public works project took advantage of Andy’s time away to recover. Tracy had tried just about everything when she noticed an ad in the paper seeking attorneys who could donate pro bono hours.
With no one else to turn to and in an apologetic tone, Tracy wrote to the Public Law Center explaining she was not an attorney, but desperately needed help with a civil lawsuit against her sick boyfriend. Within a week, PLC’s Consumer Law Unit Lead Attorney, Leigh Ferrin, wrote back and Andy soon had top-notch legal representation from Latham & Watkins, LLP.
“I remember the first day that Andy and Tracy came to our offices and shared their compelling story. They had tried all avenues they could think of for legal assistance, with no avail. At the time, they were defending themselves pro se in litigation and they were very frustrated by the legal system. We offered our assistance to help them through the process,” said Charity Gilbreth of Latham & Watkins
Over the course of a full year and after many hours of pro bono legal representation by Latham & Watkins, Andy and Tracy were able to resolve the suit, work with the Department of Labor over payroll issues resulting from non-payment from the general contractor, and save Andy’s contractor license. With those major hurdles overcome, but still dealing with Andy’s health issues, Tracy and Andy turned again to Leigh and PLC for help with filing for bankruptcy. With the complexity of the concrete business in mind, Leigh sought out Irell & Manella, LLP for assistance.
Kerri Lyman of Irell & Manella recalled: “When Andy first arrived at our office, he was struggling with health issues and heavily burdened by debts incurred in an attempt to keep his business afloat during the time that he was unable to work. I worked with Andy for several months to help him file a Chapter 7 case and support him through the bankruptcy process. The day that I met Andy for his final meeting with the bankruptcy trustee he told me, very emotionally, how thankful he was that he was able to put his debts behind him. That moment stands out as one of the happiest moments of my career.”
As Andy struggled to put his life back together, the 50-plus-year-old was met with yet another unexpected obstacle when he applied for benefits. It turned out, Andy was not a United States citizen. Andy was born in Mexico to a mixed-status couple (his father was a U.S. citizen) and lived in the United States since he was 9 months old. Unfortunately, Andy’s mother never submitted the paperwork to finalize his citizenship. Turning to Leigh once again, Andy was placed with PLC’s immigration unit, which took on the case in-house.
Earlier this year, Andy was sworn in as a United States citizen. His business and medical debts were also discharged in March. Tracy reported: “Andy is healthy again and his business is thriving. We will celebrate his 60th birthday next month. We owe so much to PLC and our pro bono attorneys.”