SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) – Maya Kowalski family sues former attorneys, alleging misuse of millions from landmark hospital case.
The family of Maya Kowalski, whose story gained national attention through the 2023 Netflix documentary “Take Care of Maya,” has filed a lawsuit against the attorneys who represented them in their high-profile case against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
The 32-page lawsuit, filed last week in Sarasota County, names attorneys Gregory Anderson and Jennifer Anderson, along with their law firm, AndersonGlenn. The complaint accuses the attorneys of repeated violations of their professional, ethical and fiduciary duties while representing the Kowalski family in their lawsuit against the hospital.
The Kowalski family’s legal battle against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital became one of Florida’s most closely watched civil cases. In 2023, a jury awarded the family more than $200 million in damages. Portions of that verdict were later overturned on appeal.
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According to the complaint, the Andersons improperly collected millions of dollars in legal fees before they were entitled to receive them and mishandled client funds.
The lawsuit alleges the attorneys secured approximately $42 million in advances against future legal fees and improperly handled money that remained in dispute.
The complaint further claims that roughly $4 million in disputed client funds were used to help secure a personal loan that financed the purchase of a multi-million-dollar home. The lawsuit alleges the Kowalski family was told the funds were safely being held in trust.
To help explain the allegations, ABC 7 spoke with local trial attorney Bryant Camareno, who is not involved in the case.
“They’re essentially alleging their attorneys failed to properly handle settlement funds and may have violated trust accounting rules in the process,” Camareno said.
Camareno noted that the key issue is not how attorneys use money they have properly earned, but whether the funds were withdrawn before they were legally entitled to them.
“It doesn’t matter what a lawyer does with money they’ve rightfully earned,” Camareno said. “The issue raised in the complaint is whether those funds were taken before they were properly earned or distributed, potentially bypassing trust account requirements.”
In a statement provided to ABC 7, Jennifer Anderson denied the allegations.
“We categorically deny any allegations of wrongdoing,” the statement said.
The statement also said the firm is “truly saddened and stunned” by the lawsuit after what it described as eight years of work on behalf of the Kowalski family.
The firm said it will continue to comply with court orders and looks forward to a fair resolution of the case.
The Andersons have not yet filed a formal response in court.
As the case moves forward, a judge will determine whether the allegations have merit. The lawsuit remains in its early stages, and no findings of wrongdoing have been made by the court.
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