Attorney Litigated And Settled A Completely Different Version Of My Case Without My Knowledge. Is There Recourse?

Location: Washington State. My former attorney has been disciplined multiple times including an 18 month suspension. I experienced what appears to be a coordinated scheme in my federal employment case (23 year employee).

There were effectively two versions of my case: the one I believed was being litigated and the materially weakened version my attorney and opposing counsel were advancing without my knowledge. Shortly after filing, opposing counsel unilaterally altered my claims in the Joint Status Report (shifting from constructive discharge due to reduced hours, contract breach and wage claims to constructive discharge due to emotional distress only). My attorney approved the changes, never amended the complaint and never informed me. Both sides litigated and mediated using the un-amended complaint as an exhibit, concealing the changes from me. Even the mediation statements aligned with the weakened claims. A motion to continue also appears to have been used to run out the statute of limitations.

My attorney failed to protect me, which allowed my former employer to use discovery to target my subsequent employment and I lost a job just prior to mediation. Unaware that my claims had been weakened, I was pressured into a private mediation and coerced into a low settlement (he originally valued it very highly) that erased 18 years of my tenure and included waivers and carve-outs I was never advised about. The case was kept from any court scrutiny. Additionally, he kept money he wasn’t entitled to by switching fee agreements and billing for an investigation he never performed.

I had severe health issues from the hostile work environment that impaired my ability to catch what was happening. It took me a long time to uncover everything.

Despite his record and multiple similar complaints from other clients, the Bar continues to allow him to practice. My grievance was dismissed. Several former clients have filed lawsuits against him. Another person he harmed told me he is being protected and that the Bar won’t discipline him further because it would mean disbarment.

Is this a known scheme? This happened a few years ago and the financial damage was severe. Once the settlement was signed, I was told there’s basically nothing I can do, even though I was settling a case based on claims I didn’t even know existed. Is that actually true? I never would have gone through with any of this if I had known the true state of my claims and the risks. I am just trying to understand if I have any options.