2008 Minnesota Statutes

481.14 REFUSAL TO SURRENDER PROPERTY TO CLIENTS.

When an attorney shall refuse to deliver money or papers to a person from or for whom the attorney has received them in the course of professional employment, the attorney may be required to do so, upon petition, by an order of court. Such order may be granted by the court in which the action was prosecuted, or, if no action was prosecuted, by the district court of the county where the attorney resides, or by the Supreme Court, and may require the attorney to make delivery within a time specified, or show cause why the attorney should not be punished for contempt. In the event an attorney shall retain money of a client under a claim of right, including a claim for fees and expenses, the court shall determine the amount, if any, due such attorney, and shall order that any surplus amount remaining after deduction thereof be surrendered to the client.

History:

(5696) RL s 2289; 1976 c 304 s 3; 1986 c 444