When an attorney shall refuse to deliver money or papers to a person from or for whom the attorney has received them in the course of professional employment, the attorney may be required to do so, upon petition, by an order of court. Such order may be granted by the court in which the action was prosecuted, or, if no action was prosecuted, by the district court of the county where the attorney resides, or by the supreme court, and may require the attorney to make delivery within a time specified, or show cause why the attorney should not be punished for contempt. In the event an attorney shall retain money of a client under a claim of right, including a claim for fees and expenses, the court shall determine the amount, if any, due such attorney, and shall order that any surplus amount remaining after deduction thereof be surrendered to the client.
Minn. Stat. § 481.14
REFUSAL TO SURRENDER PROPERTY TO CLIENTS.
Applied in 2 court decisions — leading case In Re Petition for Disciplinary Action Against Jensen (1991)
Most recently applied in In re Charges of Unprofessional Conduct in Panel Case No. 44387 (August 2019)
(5696) RL s 2289; 1976 c 304 s 3; 1986 c 444
Official source: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Reproduced from public-domain Minnesota statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.