Lawyer Who Ditched Pay-to-Play Argument Faces Malpractice Claims

A New Jersey lawyer will face a legal malpractice suit for failing to assert a viable “pay-to-play” corruption-related claim when he represented the owners of a waste-collection company, a New Jersey appeals court said in an unpublished ruling.

Gabriel Ambrosio, Anthony P. Ambrosio, and John T. Ambrosio represented Michael and Lori Vance and their company, Walker Management Systems Inc., in a suit against Meadowbrook Industries LLC. Meadowbrok had purchased most of the Walker Management’s assets.

Following the sale, Walker Management spent money to service contracts with the state of New Jersey. The Vances sued Meadowbrook, alleging that Meadowbrook assumed those ...