Tour-Sarkaissian

BACKGROUND

The Complaint and Cross-Complaint In May 2009, Sagonowsky and White met with Tour-Sarkissian seeking to have the law firm represent Sagonowsky in her marital dissolution action (the divorce action)2 and in a derivative civil action against Sagonowsky’s ex-husband (the civil action).3 At that time, Sagonowsky was in propria persona in both of these actions. According to White, he advised Sagonowsky about selecting Tour-Sarkissian to represent her and provided documents to Tour-Sarkissian, which included pleadings, discovery, and evidence for both the divorce and civil actions. According to Christine, White introduced himself as Sagonowsky’s boyfriend/fiancé. She declared that White disclosed that he was a worker’s compensation attorney and that Sagonowsky and he “were unequivocal

All further unspecified code sections refer to the Code of Civil Procedure. Sagonowsky v. Kekoa, San Francisco County Superior Court, case No. FDI-03- 755091. Sagonowsky v. Kekoa, San Francisco County Superior Court, case No. CGC-07- 463799.

2 that White was not representing Sagonowsky in either the civil action or the marital dissolution.” Tour-Sarkissian and Sagonowsky executed…