CHARLESTON – West Virginia Baseball is suing former attorney R. Michael Martin after it claims he breached his contract with the company.
On Feb. 23, 2005, WVB – also known as the West Virginia Power minor league baseball team – and Martin entered into a suite agreement for the defendant's law firm to lease Suite No. 4 from WVB at the rate of $20,000 per year, according to a complaint filed in Kanawha Circuit Court.
WVB claims on April 7, 2009, the parties executed a suite agreement addendum that modified the payment scheduled for Suite No. 4.
At some point between April 7, 2009, and March 26, 2012, the defendant ceased making payments as agreed and WVB contacted Martin by letter notifying him that it would terminate the contract on April 12, 2012, if the outstanding balance of $28,396.43 was not paid, according to the suit.
WVB claims the defendant made payments to reduce the outstanding balance to $16,396.43 and then made no further payments since then.
The suite agreement provides for an interest rate of 1.5 percent per month on an outstanding balance and the defendant currently owes $22,299, according to the suit.
WVB claims Martin breached his contract with the company and caused the company damages.
More than one dozen lawsuits have been filed against Martin since January for professional negligence. Martin consented to voluntary disbarment in January.
WVB is seeking judgment in the amount of $22,299. It is being represented by Elizabeth G. Kavitz of Kavitz Law PLLC.
The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Carrie Webster.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 15-C-1281