Zaldivar v. Shaboun

This is an appeal from a final order denying a motion for an attorney’s fee in a workers’ compensation case. Because the lawyer seeking to recover the fee did not prove that the benefits obtained by the claimant were secured as a result of the legal services he provided, we conclude that the motion was properly denied and we therefore affirm.

Richard E. Zaldivar, the claimant’s original lawyer,1 sought to recover an attorney’s fee in the amount of $14,000, based on the statutory percentage of the benefits the claimant obtained. The employer and its carrier agreed to the fee, but the…