Museum Plaza LLC, along with Walid Mando and Forma LLC, has launched a legal battle against a California law firm, accusing it of professional negligence and other serious allegations. The complaint was filed on January 23, 2025, in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, targeting Ari Law P.C., its principal Ali Ari Aalaei, and the Aalaei Ali and Nilofar Trust.
The plaintiffs, Museum Plaza LLC—a real estate development company—Forma LLC, and Walid Mando as the managing member of both entities, claim that they were misled by Ari Law into retaining their services for ongoing legal actions. According to the complaint, Ari Law promised substantial efforts and favorable outcomes when substituting in for another law firm in two court cases involving West Builders Inc. However, Museum Plaza alleges that these promises were not fulfilled. The plaintiffs accuse Ari Law of failing to perform necessary discovery work and not adhering to agreed billing practices. "Ari Law’s invoices were not presented regularly or on any regular pattern," the complaint states.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs allege that personal distractions of attorney Ali Aalaei interfered with his professional obligations. During the period of representation, Aalaei was reportedly involved in personal residential projects which Mando and Forma supported under an agreement that such contributions would offset legal fees. This arrangement allegedly went unrecognized by Ari Law despite services valued over $350,000 being provided by Mando and Forma.
In addition to claims of professional negligence and breach of contract, the lawsuit also charges unfair business practices under California Business & Professions Code Section 17200. The plaintiffs assert that they suffered financial harm exceeding $5 million due to these alleged violations. They are seeking economic damages for both unfulfilled potential gains from their legal actions and unpaid service values related to Aalaei's personal projects.
The plaintiffs are represented by David A. Ericksen from Ericksen Legal PC. They demand a jury trial seeking not only compensatory damages but also punitive damages for what they describe as a breach of fiduciary duty by Ari Law. They claim that funds owed to Museum Plaza were improperly retained by Ari Law in unrelated matters.
The case is presided over by Judge Sahar Enayati under Case ID CGC-25-621703.