The State Bar of California has filed disciplinary charges against high-profile Beverly Hills trial lawyer Paul Kiesel over his role in fallout from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s billing meltdown. Regulators say Kiesel helped craft a legal strategy that funneled a supposedly independent ratepayer lawsuit into a settlement that favored the city, all while key facts were allegedly kept from mediators and the court. Kiesel and his firm counter that he cooperated fully with investigators and note that federal prosecutors did not charge him criminally.
According to MyNewsLA, the State Bar’s notice says Kiesel served as special counsel to the city from about January 2015 through March 2019 in Los Angeles’ lawsuit against PricewaterhouseCoopers over a new DWP billing system that allegedly generated overcharges, delayed bills and missed refunds. The filing alleges that Kiesel joined forces with lawyers in the City Attorney’s Office and outside counsel on a plan to recruit “friendly” counsel to represent ratepayer Antwon Jones, then use that case to resolve other DWP-related claims on terms the city preferred.
What The Bar Says Kiesel Did
The disciplinary filing accuses Kiesel of coordinating with lawyers Paul Paradis, Jack Landskroner and Michael Libman in drafting the Jones complaint, preparing and submitting the notice of claim and drafting a confidential settlement proposal. It also alleges he made materially false and misleading statements during a March 13, 2019 deposition. As reported by the Daily Journal, the notice further claims Kiesel took part in mediations and hearings where Jones’s attorneys described the settlement as the result of arm’s-length negotiations, while allegedly keeping under wraps information that would have cast serious doubt on that portrayal.
How It Connects To The DWP Billing Mess
The new charges are the latest twist in a long-running saga that began with LADWP’s 2013 rollout of a flawed billing system, which triggered multiple class actions and ultimately a roughly $67 million settlement. Federal prosecutors have documented that attorney Paul Paradis pleaded guilty to accepting nearly $2.2 million in kickbacks and that he was sentenced for his role in schemes tied to the litigation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The broader cast of criminal convictions and plea deals surrounding the DWP cases forms the backdrop for the State Bar’s current theory of discipline against Kiesel, a history extensively chronicled by the Los Angeles Times.
What Happens Next For Kiesel
State Bar Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona has emphasized that attorneys hold a position of public trust and cannot hide conflicts or mislead courts, a theme reflected in the notice of charges. Kiesel’s firm says he cooperated with investigators and that his partners stand behind him as the State Bar Court process plays out, according to the Daily Journal.
