Thursday, May 8, 2014

FIVE-PARAGRAPH CONTRACT HAS GOTTEN SOSSI $600,000; WILL BE $900,000 IN JULY IF GBIC IS INCLUDED

By Juan Montoya
Based on a five-paragraph "agreement for legal services" between the City of Brownsville and ethics-challenged contract attorney Mark Sossi, the taxpayers of Brownsville will have paid this lawyer $600,000 this coming July 15.
Sossi, who signed the flimsy "contract" with Mayor Pat Ahumada and City Manager Charlie Cabler July 15, 2009, has managed to ingratiate himself to a majorities of the subsequent city commissions holding office since. At $10,000 a month, plus the $5,000 per month that he has contracted out with the Greater Brownsville Investment Corporation, Sossi makes $180,000 for his labors.
If he is allowed to continue his contrct work for the city and the GBIC at the current compensation, he will have amassed a tidy $900,000 over the past five years for part-time work.
A cursory reading of the "contract" shows that it is an open-ended deal that can be terminated at the whim of  a majority of the city commission or by Sossi himself.
It is highly doubtful that Sossi will cut off his gravy train. He has done exactly as his benefactors have asked him to do, from closing off the public comment section from the city's air waves citing a fear of litigation, has doled out legal work to a firm to which he lost a court settlement, has allowed the GBIC's corporate charter to de forfeited because he didn't file the mandatory four-year report, has allowed his own law license to lapse, and has even allowed his Mark Sossi P.C. corporate charter to expire.
How, then, does this lawyer remain on the public payroll?
Let's go over his sins.
Perhaps the current commissioners and Hizzoner Da Mayor Tony Martinez do not recall that Sossi, at the behest of a majority on the city commission that included Carlos Cisneros, Ricardo Longoria, Charlie Atkinson and others, challenged a watchdog group in court after they sued them and the city for giving them health insurance, mileage and other benefits that were not enumerated in the city charter.
A state district judge did not buy Sossi's argument that since they were not specifically enumerated in the negative, that the commissioners could continue at the trough because the city charter did not specifically prohibit them.
Sossi's soaring oratory and smoke and mirrors were unceremoniously rejected by the court, but not before he nailed the city for a reported $40,000 in fees to represent the commissioners in an indefensible position.
Before the issue reached the courts, Sossi was also put into the charter review committee where the group discussed the possibility of allowing the mayor and commissioners to give themselves at a level of their own choosing.
This despite the fact that voters, in a preview charter amendment election, voted down the amendments that would have accomplished the very same thing.
Then there was Sossi's decision to represent then-candidateJessica Tetreau-Kalifa in court when Atkinson challenged her residency for the position of commissioner for District 2. That was criticized because no one had authorized the expenditure of city money on behalf of that candidate.
Perhaps Sossi's shining moment was when the visiting judge admonished him for saying that Atkinson's attorney was "crap."
But perhaps the most damning indictment of Sossi's ethics was his doling out city jobs to his former law firm, Willette and Guerra.
Local watchdog Argelia Miller wrote Cabler to complain that Sossi had let out city-paid contracts to Willette and Guerra LLP, "a firm that had sued him and won a judgement of $167,00. He took money that belonged to the firm...and was sued and lost..."
"At the time I wrote the letter," Miller continues, "he had given Willette and Guerra city contracts in excess of $37,000. Now in 2011, records indicate he has given them contracts for over $75,000 from January to March 2011."
Miller wrote Martinez that it was hard for her and others to understand how Sossi "could favor a firm that sued him and that he owed $167,929 to as of 8-09-2009. It is also hard to understand how the city of Brownsville allows this arrangement.
Since this has happened, Sosi has been sued twice for legal malpractice, and has been accused of underpaying the Texas Workforce Commission unemployment fees of $20,711.66.
He is also been diligently working to produce a code of ethics for the City of Brownsville at Martinez's request.
Yet, a cursory glance at his legal work shows that it's anything but ethical.
There have been more than one dissatisfied customer who has to go seeking relief in the local courts alleging that Sossi's performance in their litigation amounts to nothing more than legal malpractice.
Brownsville Independent School District teacher and soccer coach Jesus Abete. Abete filed his lawsuit against the city's contract attorney in the 357th District Court.
Abete claimed s in his lawsuit that he "duly signed a contract" with Sossi and that the attorney signed the contract to represent him to recover legal damages sustained as a result of the accident. The Oliveira Middle School algebra and math teacher also claims that Sossi represented to him that the case was timely filed in court.
"In the ensuing months, (Sossi) repeatedly lied to (Abete), and misrepresented the true facts of the underlying lawsuit to (him).

"The truth is that (Sossi) never filed suit on behalf of Abete, and by law, suit had to be filed before the statute of limitations expired. The statute of limitations is two years from the date of the accident (January 2, 2009) Jan. 8, 2011. If the suit was not filed by then, (Abete's) rights would have been forever extinguished," the lawsuit states.

"(Sossi) failed to file (Abete's) suit," it continues. "Now that the statute of limitations has expired, (Abete) is forever barred from recovering damages for the serious personal injuries he suffered in the (crash).

Rogelio and Ingrid Gonzalez, also of Brownsville, filed a lawsuit against Sossi in the 138th District Court and said the lawyer committed malpractice when he represented them in a real-estate dispute with a bank and title company.
Sossi, they said:
* engaged in conduct, acts, and omissions below acceptable professional standards;
* engaged in conduct, acts, and omissions below standards of good and workmanlike legal services;
*was negligent;
* breached a warranty implied in law of good and workmanlike legal services; breached an express warranty of competence and skill to handle this type of case;
*breached an implied warranty of competence and skill to handle this type of case;
*committed acts and omissions of professional negligence;
*breached his contract to represent plaintiff in a skilled and competent manner; and
*committed fraud.
The Gonzalez's lawsuit stemmed from a purchase of two lots in the Gem Estates Subdivision that unbeknownst to them carried a lien from a bank (Hibernia) and when that bank was bought out by another, the new bank Capitol Bank, it moved to foreclose on them, as it did another couple who also had interest in the lots.
Like Abete, the couple charged that even though Sossi told them he was on top of the case, in the end, they found out that he had not been totally truthful with them and that their lawsuit had been dismissed by the court "for want of prosecution" on Sossi's part.
The Gonzalezs, as did Abete, said Sossi had failed in his duty and had by his actions allowed their case to be dismissed by not acting on their behalf as per their contract with him for his services.
The couple had contracted Sossi to represent them on January 28, 2008 and after years of delays, found out that the court had dismissed their case on Sept. 16, 2010.
They found out that one of the defendants in the case – Southern Texas Title Company – filed a "motion to dismiss for want of prosecution" which was later submitted to the court Sept. 14.
According to court records, on the date of the status hearing (Sept. 15) "Mark E. Sossi...failed to appear."
Counsel for the company addressed the "repeated failures of (Sossi) to comply with the court's instructions of June 3, 2009, the agreement of plaintiffs' counsel announced in open court at a hearing on Oct. 14, 2009, to amend their pleadings to correct certain deficiencies of parties."
The court, after reviewing and considering the pleadings on file in the case, the procedural history of the case, the docket entries in the case, all of which reflect the failure of the plaintiffs to comply with the court;'s instructions and orders or to prosecute their case with due diligence...the court is of the opinion that...the above-styled and numbered case should be dismissed."
Even after the dismissal and the receipt of an email from the company to the court and copied to Sossi of the signed court order, Sossi never challenged or appealed from the dismissal of his clients' cae, including that of the Gonzalez's."
In fact, the couple said that Sossi never even informed them of the dismissal or replied to her email on Sept. 26, 2010 inquiring about the progress of their claim.
Like Abete before them, the Gonzalez couple claimed that Sossi committed legal malpractice.
And like the Abetes and the Gonzalezes, city residents are still awaiting the appearance of the code of ethics he is supposed to be writing to guide the conduct of our public servants.
With the coming of city elections next May, can the candidates for office – incumbents and challengers alike – defend this type of behavior?

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Crooks will be Crooks .

Anonymous said...

Our CIA ( Chicanos in Action) operative from Nacolandia secretly observed Da Mayor and Aunt Jemima in D.C. celebrating 5 de Mayo at the Brown House; both were disguised as Amazonian head hunters from the Matto Grosso wearing their traditional G-strings. According to secret NSA memos Aunt J. will be appointed Secretary of Education in the Congo. Da Mayor will be appointed as Chargé d'Affairs in Atacama, Patagonia.

Anonymous said...

Sossi remains an excessive expense to the City of Brownsville brought to us by 'Da Mayor, Tony Martinez. In the end, Sossi will cost the taxpayer more than the "Casa de Nylon".

Anonymous said...

The Casa de Nilón will be moved next to the WH as a historical site. Galloping Gonzo will be the Ober-seer.

Anonymous said...

The person who refers Browntown to Nacolandia, I am going to make a modest suggestion to change it to Crookolandia. It has a more home-town sentiment.

Anonymous said...

Sausage Sossi will be named by Gov.Pis Perry as the lead mouth piece for the guests in Huntsville. This will be a great honor. Da Mayor in his usual G-String disguise will make the introduction.

Anonymous said...

Man, this guy reminds me of another attorney, who was disbarred, from the DFW area! Purro transa este vato! Se llama Sossi, porque a brownsville le da Soss-i, soss-i, soss!

Anonymous said...

Please do everyone a favor and stay off the blogs.....your ramblings amuse no one......grow up.

Anonymous said...

WTF is wrong with the city commissioners? Why don't they fire this useless leech?

Anonymous said...

Atacama desert is in Chile, Patagonia is in Argentina.

Anonymous said...

"Then there was Sossi's decision to represent then-candidateJessica Tetreau-Kalifa in court when Atkinson challenged her residency for the position of commissioner for District 2. "

Wasn't it the other way around? If I recall correctly, Sossi was defending Atkinson on the City's nickle in a purely partisan issue of that bozo getting his happy ass un-elected.

Anonymous said...

Brownsville gets what it deserves. You could hire 3 competent lawyers for that amount instead of one idiot.

Anonymous said...

Da Mayor disguised in His white shirt looks charming . His bugs-bunny laugh and long necktie gives him a unique Armani-Dior appearance. It's a casa de nylon tie.

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous said...
WTF is wrong with the city commissioners? Why don't they fire this useless leech?

May 8, 2014 at 10:22 PM"
Because they're BRUTOS PENDEJOS democRATAS. LES GUSTA LA MIERDA. LMAO LMAO

Anonymous said...

Is Sossi connected to the mafia?
Several people have tried to expose him and his:
--contracts given to his buddies?
--defending crooks?
--getting money under the table??

But, this is the same thing that Otis and Baltazar are doing right noe??????????

Anonymous said...

Remember that Politicians are those people that love to smell And eatShit because the like !

Anonymous said...

Da Mayor disguised as a Swami Cobra Charmer was given the credit for snatching the elusive Clingstone in Cobra infested jungles.

Anonymous said...

There is a strong resemblance between Sausage and Al Capone. The CIA just confirmed that Al is indeed Sossi's lost grandfather by his fifth marriage to Signora Fraterna Merda . This came to light through DNA tests conducted by the local clinic headed by Da Mayor disguised as Dr. quack.

rita