The teacher claims that the lawyer deceived her

TACOMA — A teacher whose discrimination lawsuit against Tacoma Public Schools was settled for $3,000 is now suing the former Pierce County Superior Court judge who represented her, alleging fraud and breach of contract.

Betty Williams, a black woman in her 70s, accused TPS of passing her up for a job because of her age, race and gender. In a lawsuit filed this week, Williams alleged that her lawyer on the case, Beverly Grant, and Grant’s law firm unlawfully took money from her.

At the heart of the dispute is that Grant allegedly agreed to receive 40 percent of the money recovered in the civil case or otherwise not collect attorney fees if the case did not result in a monetary win or settlement, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in Pierce. District Superior Court and the contingency fee agreement attached to the complaint.

The complaint states that Grant did not collect an hourly fee for legal services under the contract.

Williams deposited $10,000 into a trust fund to be used to cover representation costs as they are incurred, including items such as office supplies, court filing fees and deposition costs, according to the contingency fee agreement. Grant is accused of converting $10,000 from the trust fund into hourly attorney fees and requiring Williams to agree to those fees.

Grant, who represented Williams from 2021 to 2024, was unable to obtain the client’s consent to such action, allegedly because it was fraudulent and contrary to the client’s interest, the complaint said, adding that the consent was invalid and unenforceable.

In an August invoice memo – both attached to the complaint – Grant told Williams she had spent 66 hours worth more than $34,000 on the case. The memo shows that Williams allegedly agreed to pay $10,000 for attorney fees and received a refund of $2,592 because she paid $12,592.

When reached by phone Wednesday, Grant said she was attending a family funeral out of state and would see if she could meet The News Tribune’s 5 p.m. deadline to comment on the allegations. Ultimately, Grant did not provide comment to The News Tribune, and an email inquiry sent to her and her company on Wednesday was not returned.

The complaint said Grant and her company downplayed or denied the allegations and refused to accept responsibility and compensate Williams for damages, prompting Williams to take legal action.

Dan Wilmot, a lawyer representing Williams in the lawsuit, said in an interview Wednesday that the terms regarding attorneys’ fees changed after Grant began representing Williams.

“If he is going to change the contract with his client, he must inform him to seek an independent legal opinion to see if it makes sense,” Wilmot said.

According to him, Williams did not agree to pay $10,000 in attorney fees, but instead placed the money in a trust to cover third-party legal costs.

Court records show Williams’ discrimination lawsuit was settled Aug. 6 without TPS admitting wrongdoing or wrongdoing for $3,000. When Grant was then given the opportunity to express her opinion, she declined, saying she could not immediately speak about the resolution or reveal why.

Shortly thereafter, The News Tribune spoke with Williams, who claimed she had not signed the plea agreement, saying in an interview that she only realized the case had been dismissed after reading the news. Williams claimed she initially agreed to the financial terms, but then had reservations. Williams stated that she could have settled for more and wanted to know what her money was spent on.