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Brookfield law firm shutting down

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//January 21, 2019//

Brookfield law firm shutting down

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//January 21, 2019//

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A large law firm that had been involved heavily in publishing public notices is shutting down in the midst of two pending lawsuits in Waukesha County.

BP Peterman Law Group, which had an office in Brookfield and previously did business as Blommer Peterman and J Peterman Law Group, also recently laid off employees. Besides Brookfield, the firm has offices in Illinois and Indiana.

The founding partner, James Peterman, could not be reached for comment. The managing attorney, Michael Holsen, said on Wednesday that he was never involved in the firm’s payroll and benefits, and denied that he had committed any sort of the fraud alleged in complaints against the firm or made fraudulent statements. Holsen alleges that the firm owner, Plutos Sama LLC, was responsible for those matters.

Representatives of the parent company, Plutos Sama, of Irvine, California, also could not be reached. That firm acquired BP Peterman in 2016. Plutos Sama changed its registered business name in Delaware to LF Runoff 2 LLC on Jan. 16.

The firm’s closing comes amid two lawsuits and an eviction proceeding.

BP Peterman’s former landlord, 3MG Future Investments, of Brookfield, filed an eviction action on Nov. 5, alleging the firm owed thousands of dollars worth of back rent and had not given proper notice that it was terminating its lease for its office space at Suite 100 of 165 Bishops Way in Brookfield. According to online court records, BP Peterman and 5MG Future Investments, which took over the lease last year, reached an agreement approved by the court on Jan. 4.

In a separate lawsuit filed 10 days later, Cream City Process, a Milwaukee process-server, alleged BP Peterman had breached a contract it had calling for Cream City to serve legal summons and complaints. Cream City contends that Peterman had failed to pay more than $18,000 worth of bills by Nov. 14.

A former employee, Jamie Harris, filed a lawsuit against the firm on Jan. 2, alleging it owes her $250 worth of fees for bounced paychecks and more than $2,000 for wages that were withheld for health insurance but for which the firm had not paid premiums. Also, Harris seeks more than $100,000 for medical bills stemming from two surgeries, alleging they had not been covered by insurance because the firm had failed to pay its premiums.

Harris also alleges that BP Peterman committed fraud, alleging that the firm, through Peterman and Holsen, told employees that the firm had medical insurance and that it would pay missed or late paychecks but never intended to do both of those things.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to state that Michael Holsen was a managing attorney, not a managing partner, at BP Peterman Law Group. The Wisconsin Law Journal regrets the error.

Also, this story has been clarified to reflect that Plutos Sama changed its registered business name in Delaware to LF Runoff 2 LLC on Jan. 16.

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