Carolina Casualty Insurance v. L.M. Ross Law Group, LLP

The chapter 11 trustee for Leonard M. Ross and The Leonard M. Ross Revocable Trust (U/D/T 12-20-85) (Trustee) appeals from an amended judgment in favor of Carolina Casualty Insurance Company (Carolina Casualty) entered after the trial court granted in part a motion to amend the original judgment against L.M. Ross Law Group, LLP (Ross Law Group), to include Ross individually as a judgment debtor. (The court denied the motion to the extent it sought also to add The Leonard M. Ross Revocable Trust and the L.M. Ross Professional Law Corporation as judgment debtors.) The Trustee contends the trial court lacked any factual or legal basis to make Ross personally responsible for the judgment against Ross Law Group and prejudicially erred in denying his request to conduct discovery in connection with the motion to amend the judgment. We affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

1. The Original Judgment Against Ross Law Group

a. The DEC malpractice claim

The factual and procedural context for Carolina Casualty’s motion to amend the judgment is described at length in our published decision affirming the original judgment, Carolina Casualty Ins. Co. v. L.M. Ross Law Group, LLP…