Marriage of Daly and Zhang CA2/7
Opinion
Opinion
INTRODUCTION
This marital dissolution action between Hong Lu Zhang and Brian Daly took a bad turn, but not because of anything either of them did. As part of their separation, Zhang and Daly sold their family residence and agreed Daly’s attorneys, Evie P. Jeang and her law firm Ideal Legal Group, would hold the sale proceeds (approximately $4.8 million) in the firm’s client trust account until Zhang and Daly finalized their property settlement. Years later, Zhang discovered Jeang misappropriated more than $2.5 million of the sale proceeds. Zhang filed a “complaint in joinder” against Jeang in the marital dissolution action and sought an accounting and a constructive trust. After a trial on the complaint in joinder (at which counsel for Jeang presented no defense and made only one objection), the court ruled Jeang “committed fraud and malfeasance” and awarded Zhang and Daly approximately $2.5 million in damages, $1.6 million in prejudgment interest, plus attorneys’ fees and costs.
2 Jeang appeals from the judgment. She has forfeited most of her arguments, however, by failing to raise them in the family court. Jeang’s remaining arguments lack merit. Therefore, we affirm.