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NEWS JUNE 28, 2021 ■ 9

McCarter & English Sued

Over Law Firm Breakup

By Robert Storace

he former owner of the
defunct McHugh, Chapman &
TVargas—a personal injury and
workers’ compensation law firm—
has sued McCarter & English in
Connecticut.
His suit alleges the New Jersey-
based AM Law 200 firm engaged in
an “unlawful plan to steal McHugh,
Chapman & Vargas from [Sean]
McHugh and pay him nothing for it.”
The 63-page complaint, filed in
Middletown Superior Court, fol-
lows claims from a 2017 lawsuit in
which former McHugh Chapman
partner David Chapman accused
McHugh of stealing about $2 mil-
lion from his own law firm.
Now, comes a lawsuit McHugh
has filed, alleging McCarter & McCarter & English offices. Photo: Carmen Natale/ALM
English acted improperly. the case, but rather referred it to McCarter’s Hart-
The newest lawsuit lists 10 counts, and includes ford office.
claims against McCarter & English for alleged No one has been charged in criminal court in
abuse of process, breach of duty of good faith and connection with the case.
fair dealing, professional negligence and for alleg- 2nd lawsuit
edly being “reckless and wanton.”
A receiver dissolved the firm and split the cli- The civil litigation stems back years to when
ents between the two factions. McCarter & English began serving in 2017 as legal
Today, McHugh manages The Law Offices of counsel for McHugh Chapman during the dispute
McHugh & Associates in Middletown, and Chap- between McHugh and Chapman.
man is now a partner with Vargas Chapman The lawsuit alleges there was a concerted ef-
Woods, also in Middletown. fort to paint McHugh in a bad light, including
The lawsuit alleges that—while in the middle of taping him without his knowledge, and accusing
negotiations to sell McHugh Chapman to Chap- him of stealing millions of dollars from his own
man—Chapman reached out to Mike Kelly, an old law firm.
college friend and the current chairman emeritus “Chapman and [attorney Meghan] Woods
of McCarter & English for help. schemed, exerted pressure and coerced MCV’s
McCarter & English are the only defendants in accountant to sign false affidavits that Woods
the latest lawsuit. Kelly never actually worked on ■ Continued on PAGE 10

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