LAFAYETTE, La. – Two Louisiana law firms this month sued a group of Virginia companies they provided legal services for, claiming they are owed more than $1 million.
Plaintiffs Jones Walker LLP in New Orleans and Veazey Felder LLC in Lafayette filed their lawsuit January 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division.
The named defendants are Zenith Quest Corporation, or ZQC; Zenith Quest International Inc., or ZQI; and Zenith Firearms Inc., or ZF. All three companies are based in Afton, Virginia.
The firms claim the Zenith companies owe them $1,152,503.34.
“Plaintiffs and the Zenith Entities entered into valid and binding contracts whereby Plaintiffs would provide legal services to the Zenith Entities in exchange for the Zenith Entities’ agreement to pay Plaintiffs’ invoices for legal services,” the 16-page complaint states. “In accordance with those contracts, Plaintiffs rendered good and valuable legal services to the Zenith Parties with the expectation of the Zenith Parties’ payment for those services and expenses.
“The Zenith Entities breached those contracts by failing to pay for the legal services rendered by Plaintiffs, which the Zenith Entities remain obligated to pay.”
The law firms claim their work for the companies began in 2023.
They represented Zenith in two lawsuits: Makina Ve Kimya Endustrisi Kurumu v. Zenith Quest Corporation, et. al, and Makina Ve Kimya Endustrisi A.S. v. Zenith Quest Corporation, et. al. Both are pending in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.
In its filing, Jones Walker claims from Aug. 7, 2023 to Nov. 19, 2024 it sent 28 invoices totaling $949,359.40. Veazey Felder claims from June 30, 2023 until Nov. 30, 2024 it sent 35 invoices totaling $393,190.95.
Payment of the invoices was due upon receipt, according to the lawsuit.
“Before and during the course of representation, the Zenith Entities reassured Jones Walker and Veazey Felder that they had the resources necessary to fund the representation,” the filing states.
“At no point did the Zenith Entities inform Plaintiffs that the Zenith Entities were not going to honor their agreements. Instead, the Zenith Entities induced Jones Walker and Veazey Felder to continue working and accruing fees on the Zenith Matters.”
The law firms claim they relied on Zenith’s representations to continue working on the cases.
And now – despite failing and/or refusing to pay the firms’ invoices – the companies have “accepted the benefits” of the work done, the firms allege.
That includes Zenith receiving a jury verdict and subsequent judgment in the Zenith matters voiding about $14 million of claims brought by Makina ve Kimya Endustrisi A.S. and Makina Ve Kimya Endustrisi Kurumu, and being awarded a judgment of $720,000.
“The Zenith Entities have or will in short order be put on notice by the Louisiana Attorney General regarding these unethical, unscrupulous, and deceptive business practices,” the complaint states.
To date, Jones Walker said it has received payments totaling $112,390.42 for its invoices, but is still owed a total of $836,968.98.
To date, Veazey Felder said it has received payments totaling $77,656.59 for its invoices, but is still owed $315,534.36.
The firms seek damages, pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, attorneys’ fees, and trebled monetary damages.
