Brandon Walker of the McIntosh County Sheriff's Office in Georgia is suing personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan, alleging in a July 19 legal filing that an attorney with the firm gave him misleading information and that the firm was not properly registered with the state of Georgia.
In 2022, Walker was in his sheriff’s deputy cruiser when the vehicle was hit from behind by another driver traveling at 114 mph. According to the complaint, Walker "sustained severe physical, mental and emotional injuries," including a permanent injury to his back. Seeking help, Walker called Morgan & Morgan’s Jacksonville office after seeing billboards advertising the firm’s services across southern Georgia. The firm assigned Savannah-based attorney Brad Milkwick to Walker’s case.
Milkwick spoke to Walker on the phone for less than five minutes, according to the complaint. During that conversation, Milkwick told Walker that he would have to quit his job with the Sheriff’s Department in order to file a worker’s compensation claim. The complaint said this "improper advice" from Milkwick will leave Walker with potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills due to his permanent back injury. The complaint also alleges that Morgan & Morgan failed to determine whether the estate of the person who hit Walker’s vehicle had any other assets aside from his $25,000 insurance policy.
The complaint further alleges that at the time of this incident, Morgan & Morgan’s Jacksonville office was not registered to do business in Georgia. "Defendant Morgan & Morgan Jax could not carry out its contractual obligations to Plaintiff as it was not qualified or registered with this State," the complaint said. "Therefore, the collection of any fees and expenses contemplated in the unenforceable fee contract was wrongful, and Plaintiff is entitled to the return of such money" that was taken by Morgan & Morgan.
Walker is now bringing the case as a class action on behalf of himself and any other individuals who retained Morgan & Morgan Jacksonville’s services before the office was properly registered with the state of Georgia in April 2023, according to the complaint.
Morgan & Morgan specializes in personal injury cases such as car and motorcycle accidents and medical malpractice, according to its website. The firm has offices across the country.