05/24/2020
Moody vs. Moody: $100 million lawsuit claims attorney, brother “conspired” to “enrich” themselves
A lawsuit filed in state district court in Harris County on Thursday (5/21/2020) pits a member of the island’s most prominent family vs. a family attorney as well as his brother.
Robert L. Moody Jr., through attorney Anthony Buzbee of The Buzbee Law Firm, filed the lawsuit claiming the Moody trust attorney Irwin “Buddy” Herz and his law firm Greer, Herz & Adams conspired with brother Ross Moody “to the detriment” of Moody Jr.’s interests.
Read the entire lawsuit here: https://docdro.id/FV7qreH
Among the allegations contained in the lawsuit Robert L. Moody Jr. claims that when his father Robert L. Moody Sr. - the patriarch of the Moody family as well as the family’s vast business and philanthropic endeavors - became ill, Herz and “his co-conspirator Defendant Ross Rankin Moody (“Ross Moody”)—a power of attorney ceding control of his substantial and complex business interests to the Moody National Bank Trust Department.
“At a later date, Robert L. Moody, Sr. stepped down from multiple business and charitable boards that control the billions of dollars that make up the Moody interests.”
The lawsuit’s primary allegations are that defendants took advantage of the situation to “enrich” themselves.
“Buddy Herz and Ross Moody have used that power of attorney and Robert L. Moody, Sr.’s sickness not only as an opportunity to exponentially enrich Buddy Herz’s law firm in Galveston, Texas, but also to enrich Herz and Ross Moody themselves.
“Due to their efforts, now Ross Moody, along with Herz, have gained control of the Moody fortune and the Moody legacy to the detriment of Herz’s long-term legal client, Robert L. Moody, Jr.”
The lawsuit seeks $100 million in damages. It has not yet been assigned to a specific court in Harris County, according to records.
A response from the defendants Herz, his firm or, Ross Moody has not been filed with the court as of the weekend. It’s unconfirmed if either defense parties had yet been served with notice of the lawsuit as of the close of business Friday.
The lawsuit is yet another of legal tussles in area courts pitting Robert L. Moody Jr. vs. his brother Ross or others within the Moody Trust.
A 2017 lawsuit filed by Robert Moody Jr. made allegations that Ross Moody and members of the board of a Moody-owner insurance company mishandled business dealings in South America.
The company responded to that lawsuit by claiming that Robert Moody Jr.’s claims were “driven by personal grievances.”
That lawsuit was dismissed in 2018, but is under appeal.
Then last year Robert L. Moody Jr. filed a lawsuit claiming American National Insurance of retaliating against him for questioning whether its board acted legally and ethically ahead of a board election in April 2018 shareholders meeting and in July of that year how Robert L. Moody Jr. was removed as a advisory board member for American National Insurance that he had held since 2006.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Soon i45NOW will launch Courts&CopsNOW a platform dedicated to covering the criminal and civil legal activity from our coverage area. Reporting will follow the same guidelines of i45NOW in reporting from official sources and documents.
