FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2016
Contact: Courtney Grigsby
501.392.4153


HD 27 INCUMBENT IN COURT AGAIN
Fast-growing community needs leadership, services

FORT BEND, TX - Today, Angelique Bartholomew , candidate for House District 27 issued the following statement in light of recent judgements and charges filed against the incumbent for House District 27, Rep. Ron Reynolds:

"It gives me no pleasure to point out that, yet again, our current State Representative is back in court -- now on three separate charges which unfortunately affect our friends and neighbors. The people of this district deserve focused leadership who can provide not just a fresh start, but much-needed services for our fast-growing community."

Bartholomew continued, "As an education advocate, criminal justice reformer and an entrepreneur, I have seen first-hand that disparities are created and perpetuated when opportunities to reach our potential are not seized, due to misguided judgement or worse."

Bartholomew concluded, "I'm proud to have earned a reputation as an experienced and focused leader who can bring people together to get things done. I'm ready to serve as your State Representative and ask for your vote on May 24th."

Background on this race, and charges follow this release.

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Background on the Race
Texas State House District 27 (HD-27) includes Missouri City, Stafford, Pearland and Arcola, and parts of Houston, TX. Adjusted from the 2010 census, Texas House Districts represent 169,520 residents; more than half this district is made up of African-American and Latinos families.

The seat is currently held by Representative Ron Reynolds who is facing civil suits from former clients alleging theft, and jail time for a recent conviction for illegally soliciting clients . A detailed list of misconduct dating back 10 years is included below.

Bartholomew, a long-time resident and leader in House District 27, is a first-time candidate. On March 1, 2016 Bartholomew's strong, grassroots campaign earned a second-place finish from the Democratic primary election and propelled her into a runoff election against the incumbent.

The runoff for this race has been set for Tuesday, May 24th. The Early Voting period is Monday 5/16 - Friday 5/20/2016.

Bartholomew currently serves as the Director of Compliance at a private medical firm. She grew up in Alabama and comes from a family of preachers and Civil Rights advocates. Bartholomew is a graduate of Miles Law School and Fisk University. She has been endorsed by a former primary opponent and district native Chris Henderson, the Afro-American Police Officers League (AAPOL) and  Annie's List , which is a leading statewide political action committee which seeks to elect Democratic women. She is a graduate of Annie's List Ready to Run Candidate 101 Training .

Over her career, Bartholomew has become a powerful advocate for education and healthcare. She is also a leading voice for entrepreneurs like herself. Bartholomew understands that economic security and opportunity are fundamental for healthy, safe families and communities. She lives in Missouri City, TX. For more information about Angelique Bartholomew, visit www.BartholomewForTexas.com .

Background on Rep. Ron Reynolds' pattern of misconduct
State Representative Ron Reynolds has a pattern of wrongdoing, unethical behavior, professional misconduct, and bad acts which spans longer than a decade. Reynolds has been sued for legal malpractice and breach of duty by his clients a total of seven (7) times, and he was also sued by the law firm who represented him in two malpractice lawsuits.

Reynolds has approximately $700,000 in court "judgments" entered against him in Harris County Courts and Harris County District Courts.  In addition, receiverships have been ordered by two courts to collect more than a quarter of a million dollars in unpaid judgments against Ron Reynolds. Following is a brief summary of some of the lawsuits filed against Ron Reynolds.

In addition to actively appealing a 5-count criminal conviction of barratry (ambulance chasing), Rep. Ron Reynolds is also currently embroiled in the following legal challenges:
     
1. Murray v. Ron Reynolds : Filed January 15, 2015
A former client sued Ron for legal malpractice alleging that Ron settled the claim without the clients' consent. According to the lawsuit, Ron Reynolds settled the case against his clients' wishes for $7,350. The clients sued Ron for legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud. On April 1, 2016, the court entered Judgment against Ron Reynolds for $95,900.

 
2. Pacific Health Clinic v. Ron Reynolds : Filed March 26, 2014
A healthcare provider sued Ron for failing to pay his client's medical expenses with settlement proceeds as agreed. This case is pending.

 
3. Calloway v. Ron Reynolds : Filed June 26, 2015
A former client sued Ron alleging that he failed to pay her from the $250,000 wrongful death settlement involving her daughter. According to the lawsuit, Ron paid some of the settlement proceeds to the wrong people and failed to pay anything to the mother of the woman who died in the accident. This case was the subject of a recent news story. This case is pending.

 
4. 59 Chiropractic v. Ron Reynolds : Filed June 17, 2013
A chiropractor sued Ron Reynolds for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud related to agreements to pay for medical services from the settlement proceeds of Ron's clients. This case is pending and preparing for trial. Reynolds filed for a continuance on March 24, 2016   The court date is now September 26, 2016.

 
5. Ultimate Pain Solutions v. Ron Reynolds : Filed March 9, 2016
A medical care service provider sued Ron Reynolds for failing to pay his clients' medical expenses with settlement proceeds as agreed. This case is pending.

 
6. February 2016
Violated Texas Ethics Commission's "conversion to personal use" rule - according to Reynolds' 2016 Primary 8-day campaign finance expenditure of $2,273 to repair his personal automobile.

 
7. Ramos v. Ron Reynolds : Filed March 20, 2015
A former client sued Ron for legal malpractice alleging that Ron settled the claim without the clients' consent and failed to pay the client any of the $30,000 in settlement proceeds. The former client is suing Ron for legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud. This case is pending.

 
8. Commission for Lawyer Discipline v. Ron Reynolds : Filed February 12, 2014  
In sum, the State Bar is seeking ethics charges against Ron for the same allegations related to his recent barratry conviction. This case is pending.

 
9. Braulio v. Ron Reynolds : Filed February 9, 2013
A former client sued Ron for herself and her minor child, alleging that Ron settled their case without their consent, forged signatures, deposited funds and failed to pay the clients. According to the lawsuit, Ron settled the mother and child claims for $13,400 total, and failed to pay the clients any of the settlement proceeds. On May 5, 2014, Ron agreed to a $20,000 judgment against him on this case.

 
10. H. Ameri Health Care Clinics, Inc. v. Ron Reynolds : Filed February 27, 2014
A healthcare provider sued Ron for failing to pay medical expenses with settlement proceeds. On November 5, 2015, the court entered a judgment against Ron Reynolds in the amount of $162,106.00. The court noted that "Defendant Ronald Eugene Reynolds has refused to provide full and complete responses to Plaintiff's discovery requests, as required by the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure and the Court's Order." The court previously ordered Ron to respond to discovery requests and participate in the lawsuit, and Ron failed or refused to do so.

 
11. Memorial MRI v. Ron Reynolds : Filed April 29, 2013
An MRI facility sued Ron for failure to pay for MRIs administered to Ron's clients. There was an agreement to pay for the MRIs from the settlement proceeds of each client's case. On October 10, 2013, the court entered judgment against Ron Reynolds in the amount of $172,869.00. On June 2, 2014, the court ordered a receivership to collect the unpaid judgment from Ron Reynolds.

 
12. SignAd Ltd. v. Ron Reynolds : Filed October 7, 2013
A billboard company sued Ron Reynolds for failure to pay for billboard advertising as agreed. On September 22, 2014, the court entered a final default judgment against Ron Reynolds in the amount of $8,740.00.

 
13. Mana MRI, L.C. v. Ron Reynolds : Judgement on December 15, 2014
An MRI facility sued Ron Reynolds for failure to pay for MRIs administered to Ron's clients. There was an agreement to pay for the MRIs from the settlement proceeds of each client's case. The company recovered a $89,753 judgement against Ron on December 15, 2014. On October 14, 2015, the court granted Mana MRI a receivership against Ron to collect the unpaid judgment.

 
14. Johnson v. Ron Reynolds : Filed April 12, 2012
A former client sued Ron for legal malpractice alleging that Ron settled the claim without the client's consent and failed to make certain legal demands on the insurance company as he represented to the clients. Ron Reynolds settled this case.

 
15. The Bennett Law Firm v. Ron Reynolds : Filed February 25, 2010
The law firm that represented Ron Reynolds in legal malpractice lawsuits sued Ron for unpaid legal bills. Ron Reynolds settled this case.

 
16. Grimes v. Ron Reynolds : Filed April 25, 2005
A former client sued Ron Reynolds for legal malpractice after Ron filed her federal employment discrimination lawsuit and failed to do any work on the case after it was filed. The federal court ultimately dismissed the discrimination case, but Ron never told his client about the dismissal. Ron also failed to respond to the dismissal. The legal malpractice case went to a jury trial, and on March 5, 2009, a 12-person jury rendered a unanimous verdict against Ron Reynolds for malpractice for $150,000, and this amount included $50,000 in exemplary or punitive damages.

 
This pattern was most recently documented in February of 2016 in this damaging news story alleging theft of a grieving mother: