or The Case of the Missing $450,000
There will be some courtroom drama in Forrest County this morning after Chancellor Sheilah Smallwood ordered attorney Corey Ferraez's paralegel to appear in her courtroom at 9. Judge Smallwood ordered her employer's arrest Friday after he failed to appear in Court to explain what happened to a client's $450,000 settlement.
The wife of Stephen Weatherford hired Ferraez to pursue a wrongful death action. The insurance company paid $450,000 to settle the case. Unfortunately, Mrs. Weatherford never got her money. She testified neither Ferraez nor his staff returned her phone calls.
Ferraez strung out the case in court until the Chancellor ordered him to appear at a show cause hearing on June 16 and explain what happened to the settlement proceeds. After the attorney failed to appear in court, Judge Smallwood ordered him to deposit $450,000 by the close of business Friday. Ferraez filed a motion for reconsideration Thursday, claiming a medical emergency was why he missed the hearing but he provided no documentation of said emergency.
Chancellor Smallwood ordered his arrest Friday. Ferraez did not surrender but instead has remained on the lam.
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| Corey Ferraez, Esq. Credit: WLBT |
The wayward attorney might be gone but he is not forgotten as the Court ordered his paraleal, Rebecca Voytek to appear before her this morning and provide the firm's financial records so it could be determined what happened to the settlement. The order (issued yesterday) states if Voytek does not appear in court, she will be found in contempt of court.
Ferraez might be a fugitive but he somehow managed to file an emergency motion to vacate the order for his incarceration yesterday. The motion opened with a few excuses:
2. Ferraez has attempted to retrieve documents requested by the Court and apologizes for the delay given the change of firm entities and different bank accounts created for two separate entities, as well as ongoing medical issues. Within 24 hours of this filing, the amount of $214,831.23 will be deposited with the Court registry representing all remaining portions of the Estate funds following disbursements to Weatherford and the Court approved attorney’s fees and costs:
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Although he stated he would not deposit the entire settlement amount, Ferraez justified the reduction. He said he "facilitated" pre-settlement loans of $42,190 to Mrs. Weatherford. The motion claims she borrwed another $40,000 from February 2024 to March 2025.
The defendant claims the court approved his 50% contingency fee in December 2019. However, he agreed to reduce his fees to 40%. Ferraez claims Mrs. Weathorford is entitled to only $214,831.
Ferraez tried to explain away his tardiness:
5. Ferraez would never want to insult the Court or take this matter lightly. But Ferraez needed additional time to verify documents and transactions given his illness, including COVID and hospitalization two weeks prior to the show cause hearing due to ongoing kidney stones. Ferraez is willing to rectify any issues in the Estate the Court may have in full disclosure and prays for the relief as the Court may grant him. Further, Ferraez’s medical records which will be provided to the Court show a diagnosis of ongoing depression which has disrupted scheduling and other aspects of his practice.
The Hattiesburg lawyer is under indictment for alleged embezzlement from clients and his former law firm as well. Although the indictments were served in 2021, the cases are still pending as Special Circuit Judge Forrest Johnson has not appointed a special prosecutor even though the prosecutor withdrew from the case over a year ago. Earlier post.
What will happen today in Judge Smallwood's court? Stay tuned.
16 comments:
What are they teaching at Ole Miss law school?
everything in these proceedings should be transcribed and sent directly to the ms state bar association disciplinary committee
this pretty boy superhero has no business with a license to practice law. he need to be disbarred before the 4th of July.
Pretty big cojones to miss a court date like that. Might be a sign of his generation. He will not fare well in prison.
Wow. This fool put his paralegal in the crosshairs. Hope she didn't have access to the trust account.
How to milk a dirt dumb Mississippian (rich or poor doesn't matter) for every penny they got, that's what. Then dare a client to navigate the corrupt legal system that protects them all. Every judge recused themselves from this case....WHERE in the fuck does that even happen? No where - because you in Mississippi.
I’m about to drop a trvthnvke..
I own an IT managed services provider with hundreds of attorneys as clients. The majority of attorneys have moved everything to cloud-based legal SaaS systems. All any judge needs to do is to figure out which one he used and subpoena them for access. Or subpoena his MSP. They too will have access. A subpoena is all I need to break my NDA.
He’s a graduate of MC School of Law — not Ole Miss. He actually attended University of Alabama undergrad.
What a slimeball
If I were the judge, no excuse. If you can file a motion to vacate the orders, you can show your a$$ up and present the check yourself. Lock him up until the trial on the outstanding charges.
Loaning money to a client without notifying the Bar (and then only a limited amount) is against the ethics rules. He has admitted in a pleading as an officer of the court (I use that term loosely) that he violated the ethical rules. Where or where is The Mississippi Bar? Oh yes, getting ready to go to the beach out of state in Sandestin, that's where.
Incorrect. Cory Ferraez went to Ole Miss law school. His identical twin brother (Jace Ferraez) went to MC Law.
His Facebook page (under Cory Ferraez) says he went to OM for law school.
The sheer gall of that man to file that motion while actively evading law enforcement. He claims he hasn't shown because he has "covid" (uh huh, sure). He's clearly not so "sick" to type out a 5-page motion. Clearly has access to a computer/internet (so he knows law enforcement is looking for him). Clearly has actual knowledge of the incarceration order--yet still has not turned himself in. AND, then adds on he will only turn over 50% of the money?? Na dude, judge has ordered the full $450k to be deposited into the court so it can be accounted for. You can argue about the amount once you've shown it's still there. If I was the judge, I'd be absolutely enraged. He added to that motion that once the contempt order has been vacated, that he be "permitted" to appear in court. My guy, you're not just "permitted"; you've been ORDERED to get your a$$ up there. I gather he is asking to be "permitted" to appear in court without handcuffs.
He's a fugitive from justice, and I'm sure he'll be treated as such.
How did the court have jurisdiction over a paralegal.
Not an attorney of record.
This is judicial overreach
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