Santa Ana : Attorney Accused of Stealing From Client

A former Huntington Beach attorney was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of keeping a $100,000 settlement he negotiated for a client eight years ago, authorities said.

Stephen D. West, 46, was arrested at a Costa Mesa business where he had been working for about a year on suspicion of grand theft and practicing law without a license, Deputy Dist. Atty. Marc Kelly said.

West was scheduled to be arraigned today in Municipal Court in Santa Ana. He faces a maximum of five years in state prison if convicted, Kelly said. The district attorney’s office is also seeking restitution for the client, whose name was not disclosed.

“It is very unfortunate that an attorney would use his position to take advantage of somebody who went through what this woman went through,” Kelly said.

The woman, who is in her early 30s, had suffered broken ribs, a torn knee and a fractured ankle in a car accident in 1987. West, who represented her, negotiated a $100,000 settlement with an insurance company, Kelly said.

However, West cashed the check and kept all of the money, Kelly said. Attorneys in such cases usually earn 33% of a settlement, he said.

“When she asked him about (the case), he would tell her to be patient, that the case had been tied up in the court system,” Kelly said. “He strung her along for six to seven years.”

The woman became suspicious after receiving a letter in October, 1993, from another lawyer informing her that West had quit his law practice and that he had taken over West’s cases.

Following several complaints from clients, West relinquished his license to practice law in February, 1993, according to the California State Bar.

The woman reported her suspicions to the district attorney’s office last year, prompting an investigation.

Kelly said West is suspected of continuing to represent himself as a lawyer after surrendering his license.

West is being held in Orange County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.

The district attorney’s office is asking that anyone who thinks he or she may have been misrepresented by West to call (714) 568-1246.