The Celis saga continues

Mauricio Celis of Corpus Christi, who faces criminal charges of falsely holding himself out as a lawyer and civil suits alleging he engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, got some good news on March 24 in a long-running suit pending in Zapata County. In an order on March 24, Judge David Peeples, the administrative judge for the fourth region, granted in part and denied in part motions for summary judgment sought by Celis, CGT Law Group International and other defendants in a tortious interference suit. In Gonzalez & Associates Law Firm, et al. v Chris Pinedo, et al. , Gonzalez & Associates Law Firm of McAllen and its client, Priscilla De Los Santos, allege Celis, CGT and others tortiously interfered with the firm’s “valid contract” to represent De Los Santos in a suit stemming from a 2004 house fire. In the order, Peeples granted summary judgment to Celis, CGT and other defendants on negligence claims brought by the plaintiffs in Gonzalez v. Pinedo. He also granted a motion for summary judgment in favor of Celis, CGT and other defendants on Gonzalez & Associates’ unauthorized practice of law and conspiracy causes of action. But Peeples denied Celis, CGT and other defendants summary judgment on UPL and conspiracy claims De Los Santos brought. Peeples denied a motion for summary judgment brought by Celis, CGT and other defendants on the plaintiffs’ intentional interference with contract claims, but he granted summary judgment to Celis and Chris Pinedo, a former lawyer at CGT, on frivolous-pleadings allegations under Rule 13 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure and Chapter 9 and 10 of the Texas Civil Practices & Remedies Code. In a written statement, Andrew M. Greenwell, an attorney for Celis and CGT in the Zapata County suit, writes that his clients won a “measure of vindication” with the summary judgment order. “This is yet another example that shows that Mauricio Celis is the victim of a baseless hue and cry . . . The reason Mauricio Celis is winning, and will continue to win, is because he’s right and has done nothing wrong,” writes Greenwell, a partner in Harris & Greenwell in Corpus Christi. Plaintiffs’ attorney Raymond Thomas, a partner in Kittleman, Thomas & Gonzales in McAllen, says he is pleased Peeples “allowed the bulk of our causes of action to remain intact.” Thomas says the suit is set for trial in October. “What the judge did is he went through the petition and cleaned up the pleadings and decided what claims were viable,” Thomas says. But Celis’ most pressing legal matter may be the criminal charges pending in Nueces County. In November 2007, a Nueces County grand jury indicted Celis on 10 criminal charges: seven counts of falsely holding himself out as a lawyer, one count of aggravated perjury, one count of impersonating a public servant and one count of theft. He has pleaded not guilty.
-- Brenda Sapino Jeffreys