Nathan Jacobson, a Canadian businessman, is suing his former lawyer, Steven Shurka, for negligence and for allegedly forcing him to plead guilty in a money laundering case. In return, Shurka is suing Jacobson for attempting to ruin his reputation as a lawyer, as reported by Canadian Jewish News.
Jacobson was accused of money laundering connected to an internet pharmacy. He claims in the suit that he had maintained his innocence, but was persuaded by Shurka to plead guilty. As a result Jacobson was in jail for a month in Canada, was imprisoned for 44 days in the United States until a U.S. District court withdrew his conviction.
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Jacobson is suing for a total of around $32 million, for legal fees, money that went to his U.S. legal team, $10 million for lost business opportunities and harm to his reputation, and damages. Jacobson’s statement says that Shurka “knew or ought to have known that the United States government could not prove Mr. Jacobson guilty of various criminal charges, but advised him to plead guilty.”
Shurka is suing Jacobson, and claims that his guilty plea was of his own free will. His suit is only for $1.8 million, but his statement claims that Jacobson wanted to create favorable media attention for himself and to damage Shurka’s reputation.
