LOS ANGELES — The State Bar Court of California recently suspended Art Hoomiratana, a Pasadena attorney, from the practice of law for accepting advanced fees in two loan modification matters and failing to file a lawsuit for a client.
According to the March 1 decision, Hoomiratana was hired in November 2012 to represent a client who had previously negotiated a loan modification with his lender.
Hoomiratana was paid a $10,000 fee to sue the lender for continuing to charge fees despite the loan modification. On Nov. 30, 2012, the attorney served the lawsuit to his client’s lender but was later informed that the loan had been sold to another company.
Hoomiratana did not file the suit with the correct party and allegedly failed to preform any further legal services, prompting the client to terminate the relationship in August 2014.
In the second matter, Hoomiratana was hired by a woman in July 2012 to represent her in a loan modification matter. He accepted a $10,000 payment from the client on Aug. 6, 2012, prior to performing any services. Similarly, the attorney was hired to perform loan modification services between January and February 2012 for a total of $25,500 in advanced fees.
Hoomiratana will be suspended for a period of 90 days and will serve two years' probation. The attorney will also be required to pay $45,500 in restitution before he is reinstated.
The Los Angeles County attorney was admitted to the California State Bar in 2006. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law and was previously suspended from practice in 2015 for similar misconduct.