Hi..

I paid a lawyer in 2004 a retainer fee to take my case for sexual discrimination and disability discrimination against the company I worked for.  I continued working for the company but the situation became so bad that I ended up having to leave because it made me mentally unstable.

This attorney would barely return my calls.  When he did he assured me that the paperwork was in the process of being filed.  He would call me back about once every 3 months for an update which was always the same thing, the paperwork is being filed, unfortuntately the counties systems are overloaded and it is slow.  Over  the course of this time many more things were added that the company had done to me, including trying to terminate me because they said I was obviously mentally unstable.  They continuously denied my FMLA papers from my doctor because they said my doctor was lying.  My attorney finally agreed to meet with me and he took more notes.  I found it odd that he was in a different office than when I had met with him the first time.

I called the office of the law firm to whom I had originally made out the check for the retainer fee.  I was told by the owner that he hadn't worked there since 2004.  That he had taken on all sorts of cases with no legal grounds and had excepted retainers from these people.  She said she is not a discrimination attorney but is looking into it.  The original attorney I hired is refusing to give back my files which have all the detailed dates of everything that happened, unless he was just scribbling or writing love letters while we were talking.

This attorney stole my money.  Made me feel like I had a legitimate case.  Did nothing what-so-ever to pursue it.  When I told him the stress from my employers was so overwhelming I coudn't take it anymore he told me to go ahead and resign and that he would call it forced resignation.

Now I am without a job, without an attorney and the brutal assault and sexual harassment along with my companies obvious violation and discrimiation againt me for having a bonafied disability are going to be ignored.  They continuously denied my FMLA stating my doctor was lying.  They can't do that. 

Is there any course of action that I can take against this attorney for ripping me off?  The attorney in the office that he worked for did file the case for me so that it still fell within the statute of limitations but she says that she is not a discrimination attorney so I really don't know what else to do.  I am completely disabled, have 0 income and am waiting for my disability hearing from social security which can take up to 2 years.  Both my psycholigist and my regular doctor believe that my mental disorder and post traumatic stress disorder would never have occurred if I had not been repeatedly exposed to the man who was continously allowed to graphically and disgustingly sexually harass me at work.  My life was threatened on 3 separate occasions by male co-workers and the company did nothing about it.  It is no wonder that I am afraid of men. 

Someone please help me.  My life is ruined.  Again I trusted this attorney and I believed him.  I took out a loan to pay the retainer and he stole my money and did squat.  $2500 is a lot for someone who has 0 income.  There has to be something I can do.  He shoudn't be allowed to rip off anymore people.

Thank you for any advice you can give.