I had a domestic violence (DV) case in 2016. During the course of my case, my attorney–client privilege was violated. Mr. Salas instructed me to communicate a message to my ex-partner so that she could prepare a letter attesting to my good moral character. Mr. Salas’s associates, including Antonio Lopez, failed to communicate effectively with one another regarding a letter that my ex-partner delivered to Mr. Salas’s office. After I was released following six months of incarceration and reviewed my case—including the back-and-forth exchange of information between defense counsel and the District Attorney’s Office—I discovered that Antonio Lopez-Hutchinson had emailed that letter to the District Attorney’s Office. This was the same letter my ex-partner had provided to Mr. Salas, in which she admitted that she had lied and that she was not at home when the alleged events occurred. In the letter, my ex-partner attempted to amend and recant her prior statements in order to clear my name, asserting that I was innocent, that I was not responsible for her injuries, and that a third party was involved. She further explained that she had falsely accused me because I had contacted her lover’s wife, which caused him to become angry with her. She stated that she was assaulted by that individual but nonetheless accused me of indirectly causing her harm. On my first day at Lerdo, I nearly lost my life after being assaulted by other inmates. I was transported to Kern Medical Center (KMC) by patrol car. I was struck with a commercial broomstick and immediately lost consciousness. I was stomped, kicked, and punched, resulting in a fracture to the front-left portion of my cranium, a fractured jaw, a broken nose, lacerations to both eyebrows, facial disfigurement, dislocated fingers, and extensive bruising throughout my body. My mother contacted Mr. Salas’s office, but he never came to see me. Instead, it was my ex-wife’s attorneys who visited me in jail and assisted me with the necessary medical procedures. I paid Mr. Salas over $30,000 for what I experienced as extremely poor representation and a deeply negative experience. At the time, I was also suffering from a work-related injury sustained in 2013 and had an active workers’ compensation case. I had significant difficulty walking and moving and was in a very poor emotional and mental state. Despite this, Mr. Salas had the audacity to ask me how much my workers’ compensation case was worth, which I found inappropriate. I did not disclose that information to him. My ex recanted the day of my sentence infront of the judge. I noticed that the judge got really mad/upset and send one of the guards to look for my ex-wife attorney. She told her off the record that he was going to pretend he didn't heard or otherwise she was going to jail. Attorney Antonio Lopez didn't do anything but he, judge and the district attorney went in the back to talk. Attorney Lopez only said to me that there was nothing to do since I had signed a plea deal.
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