Disbarred Lawyer Accused of Defrauding Clients Will Stand Trial

A disbarred lawyer who allegedly took money from clients without following through on their cases was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on grand theft and other felony charges.

After a 2 1/2-hour preliminary hearing, Los Angeles Municipal Judge Michael Pastor ruled that there was enough evidence for A. Thomas Hunt to answer to all six charges against him.

Hunt, free on $15,000 bail, is scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court on Aug. 8. He is accused of defrauding three clients, including a pregnant woman and a teacher.

Pastor denied a request by Hunt’s attorney, Mark Werksman, to dismiss the charges on grounds that they constituted double jeopardy.

Hunt has served a five-day jail term in a similar but separate case in civil court, where a judge found him in contempt for failing to notify clients and return their fees after handing over his license. Werksman said he would renew the dismissal motion in Superior Court.

“The facts and the law are clearly on our side,” Werksman said, adding that three of the counts should be thrown out because they allegedly were not filed in time to meet the statute of limitations.