SOSSI SUED FOR STIFFING FORMER CLIENT ON COURT SETTLEMENT

By Juan Montoya 
A former Oliveira Middle School math teacher and soccer coach who sued City contract attorney Mark E. Sossi for legal malpractice last February has filed a lawsuit again claiming that Sossi has failed to pay him as he agreed to after mediation.
The lawsuit of  in the 357th District Court Friday.
Abete last year claimed 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).
In his new motion bepore the court, Abete wants the judge to declare the settlement agreement void for nonpayment.
He also wants the court to release him from a bond of confidentiality that would allow for him to make public the details of the settlement.
Abete said through his attorney Peter Zavaletta that he would show the court that he sued

Sossi for breach of contract and legal malpractice and that the court ordered the parties to mediate, and appointed Reynaldo Garza, Jr. as Mediator. The mediation was held at
Mr. Garza’s office on or about September 27, 2012. The parties agreed to settle this matter, and signed a written settlement agreement prepared by the mediator.
Because of the confidentiality provisions requested by defendant, a copy of the Settlement Agreement was not attached to the motion, but Abete said he would offered it as an Exhibit in support of his motion at the hearing.
"(Sossi) has materially breached the settlement agreement, to wit, he has failed to make monthly payments as required under the Settlement Agreement. Plaintiff accordingly moves to declare the settlement agreement void due to Defendant’s material breach, to wit, his non-payment. Plaintiff further moves that all confidentiality provisions be declared void and no longer in effect, as incident to an agreement that has been materially breached.
In the alternative, Plaintiff moves that the payment-by-installment provisions in the settlement agreement be stricken, and that Defendant be required to pay instanter in certified funds the balance of the settlement proceeds due and owing Plaintiff. Lastly, Plaintiff moves for an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred in bringing this motion, and for such other and further relief to which Plaintiff may be justly entitled."
This is only the most recent of Sossi's misfortunes. As other local bloggers have pointed out "His previous employer, the Willette & Guerra law firm had already proven in court that he had pocketed $167,363 intended for the firm, while the Texas Workforce Commission found that he had done the same thing with monies earmarked for unemployment benefits to the tune of $20,711.66. During his first year on the city payroll his license to practice law was revoked at least once."
Last June, a "A Stell teacher and her husband say that Sossi deliberately failed to prosecute their case which resulted in their losing their $39,800 property to a title company with which he was in cahoots and which then paid $10 for it at a foreclosure sale, selling it later for $20,000.
The couple – Rogelio and Ingrid Gonzalez – originally sued Sossi for legal malpractice and now charge that he and Southern Texas Title Company of joining forces to defraud the couple and that Sossi kept them in the dark for years until they found out that their case had been dismissed for want of prosecution.

Adding to Sossi's problematic representation of local citizens and the judgement from his previous employer, it has been learned that Sossi has been issued a $100,000 tax lien by the I.R.S. 

Sossi is hired by the city at $10,000 a month and also to sit with the GBIC as board counsel for an additional $5,000 a year. You'd think that would be enough for him to pay his bills, wouldn't you?
Neither Abete nor Zavaletta would comment on the latest lawsuit.
Sossi, by the way, was tabbed by Mayor Tony Martinez to draft a Code of Ethics for city employees and officials.