SPRINGDALE, Ark. — A federal jury has delivered a significant verdict against a Fayetteville attorney, awarding $4.58 million in damages to a local personal injury law firm following allegations of unethical practices involving funeral home “runners.” These individuals, not licensed attorneys, were reportedly employed to solicit clients at funerals for attorney Tony Pirani.
The jury found Pirani guilty of engaging in a racketeering scheme that exploited grieving families through fraudulent practices tied to funeral establishments. According to Mark Murphey Henry, who represented the Jason M. Hatfield P.A. firm in the lawsuit, the jury also imposed an additional $2 million in punitive damages.
“This decision sends a strong message about the importance of ethical standards in the legal profession,” Henry said. He is pursuing a total judgment of $20.3 million, which includes punitive damages and attorney fees, based on claims that Pirani violated anti-corruption laws.
Hatfield, the firm’s namesake, expressed that the motivation for initiating the lawsuit was to safeguard individuals, particularly families reeling from loss. “This case was driven by a desire to protect vulnerable families from exploitation during their darkest moments,” he stated.
The origins of the conflict date back to November 2020, when Hatfield began representing relatives of Flor Maribel Recinos Valle, who tragically died in a collision involving a J.B. Hunt Transport Services truck. Evidence presented during the trial indicated that bereaved families were approached shortly after their loss by “case runners” linked to funeral homes, specifically the Westfield Chapel Funeral Home.
Key witnesses confirmed that these case runners, Michael McCoy and Cesar Ornelas, orchestrated efforts through a network of more than 300 funeral homes to gain the trust of families. Allegations included coercing families into signing legal representation agreements under false promises of immigration assistance and large settlements.
Despite claims of representing a legitimate law firm, evidence showed that the “Nunez Law Firm” was fabricated and did not exist. Ornelas, not an attorney, was alleged to oversee all aspects of the operations, distributing cases to various legal firms in exchange for a share of the profits.
Testimony revealed that this operation had facilitated the transfer of over $24 million in legal fees, which funded private aviation for Ornelas, incentives for funeral directors, and exorbitant salaries, including a reported $750,000 for McCoy.
Although McCoy and Ornelas were named as defendants, they reached a settlement in early 2024. Pirani has not yet publicly responded to inquiries regarding the verdict, citing ongoing commitments to a federal jury trial.
Henry emphasized that the case highlighted a broader commitment to uphold the integrity of the legal profession and serve those who are often without a voice in their times of grief.
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