Overview
- The federal complaint, filed Nov. 17 in Dallas, seeks $164,285.55 that the firm says remains unpaid, including $10,967.91 in interest.
- The invoices cover legal work performed from May 1 to Aug. 26, 2024, tied to Sanders’ personal injury litigation and his bankruptcy matters.
- Barnes & Thornburg says Sanders was notified in August 2024 that attorney Victor Vital was leaving the firm, after which Sanders moved his representation but still owed prior balances.
- The new lawsuit proceeds separately from Sanders’ Chapter 7 case, which he filed in October 2023 after a 2022 default judgment exceeding $11 million in a suit brought by former school security guard John Darjean.
- The bankruptcy trustee recently sued Sanders alleging roughly $250,000 in unauthorized transfers, and the discharge of the Darjean judgment remains contested.