GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Matthew Herman, a Grand Rapids-based attorney, is accused of signing up clients, taking their money and failing to follow through with their case. Several viewers have reached out to the FOX 17 Problem Solvers about him.
His slogan is 'Better Get at Matt' and his law firm was called West Michigan Legal Group PC. FOX 17 interviewed two of those people who paid to retain him.
Debra Martin of Grand Rapids said she needed help dealing with a used car dealer after they sold her a lemon in late 2015. She said Herman met her to get payment.
"He said, 'Well, I'll charge you $500,'" Martin recalled. "He hasn't done anything, hasn't returned my calls. He has not done anything," Martin said.
Bruce Duvall had a pot case in 2015, and said "we gave him $2,500 cash." The Kalamazoo man said Herman showed up to two hearings but then disappeared.
"We never, ever heard from him again, and I've tried calling him dozens of times," Duvall said.
Debra Martin recalled the attorney "did call my phone by mistake, and he was asking to speak to somebody named 'Jim'. I said, 'No, this is Debra Martin," she said he hung up. "Called him right directly back. Didn't get nothin'."
Bruce Duvall tried calling from another number.
"When I called on that phone, he picked it right up," Duvall said.
But Duvall said he got nothing but excuses. So the Kalamazoo man ended up hiring another attorney to finish out his case. The Problem Solvers have met Matt Herman more than once. In fact, he's done interviews on the medical marijuana law and a warehouse he rents out in Grand Rapids to pot growers.
This time around, Herman wouldn't return any of our calls and voice messages on his cell phone. So the Problem Solvers stopped by his office on Hall Street in Grand Rapids. The office is empty.
The Problem Solvers found an email address for Herman. He wrote back and said he closed his law firm and only has a couple of clients left. At the same time, he said Duvall and Martin need to sign a waiver to drop attorney-client privilege before he'd talk to us. He declined an interview.
Duvall said he has the following to say to Herman: "I'm disappointed in you, and you seem to be a very dishonest person to me."
Martin said, "I want my $500 back that he took and didn't do anything for me."
Via email, Herman claimed Duvall rejected a plea deal and dropped him. Duvall said that is not true and that he ended up paying twice as much money to have another attorney finish the case for him.
The Problem Solvers told Martin and Duvall they can contact the Attorney Grievance Commission.
Contact the FOX 17 Problem Solvers at problemsolvers@fox17online.com or 616-447-5291
