Attorney General's News Release

February 23, 2006

Nixon sues Springfield man who posed as lawyer and said he worked for the local branch of the NAACP

Springfield, Mo. — Attorney General Jay Nixon today filed suit against a Springfield man who allegedly took advantage of a local woman by claiming to be an attorney for the NAACP. The lawsuit, filed in Greene County Circuit Court, accuses Calvin Allen of practicing law without a license and claiming a nonexistent association with the Springfield branch of the NAACP.

According to Nixon, Allen approached a local woman who was seeking to get an insurance benefit from a policy taken out by her deceased husband. She then signed an agreement with him to represent her for $75 per hour or a percentage of any insurance claim she received.

"Mr. Allen clearly played on the emotions of a woman who had lost her husband to a long-standing illness," Nixon said. "He earned her trust by posing as a lawyer with an organization that symbolizes trust with many people locally and nationally."

The Rev. Larry Maddox, president of the Springfield NAACP, says there have been reports from as far away as southeast Missouri about Allen representing himself as a Springfield NAACP lawyer.

"The Springfield Branch NAACP wants to commend Attorney General Nixon for looking into this matter," Maddox said. "We believe this has been happening for several years and it is time for it to stop."

Nixon thanked the Springfield NAACP office for its help in this investigation. In the lawsuit, he asks that Allen fully refund money he received by the widow in this case, reimburse the Attorney General's Office for its legal and investigative costs and pay penalties to the state.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

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