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MARTINSBURG — from www.wvrecord.com – Kevin Pittsnogle — the tattooed, 3-point-shooting 7-footer whose last name became a verb during his time on the West Virginia University basketball team — says an attorney he hired for a custody battle took his money and ran.
In a lawsuit filed Jan. 23 in Berkeley Circuit Court, Pittsnogle alleges that he paid attorney Kenneth Ford, of Baltimore, a $1,000 flat fee to represent him in a paternity and custody matter. Ford had previously made a name for himself by filing copyright lawsuits on behalf of adult movie film studios.
Ford has been the subject of several official complaints and had his law license suspended at least five times by the state Bar, according to The Journal of Martinsburg. He was arraigned on Jan. 11 on charges of falsifying court orders.
Pittsnogle, 27, helped the Mountaineers reach the Elite 8 of the 2005 NCAA Tournament as a junior and the Sweet 16 of the 2006 tournament as a senior. He says after hiring Ford in June, he went months without hearing from him.
“When questioned by the Plaintiff regarding the status of the custody case, the defendant knowingly, intentionally and repeatedly lied to the plaintiff, indicating a case had been filed and a court date had been set,” the complaint says.
It adds that no legal action was taken, and that Ford fabricated a court order pertaining to the custody case on which he forged the signatures of court officials.
Pittsnogle, who lives in his native Martinsburg, ranks seventh all-time in scoring at WVU with 1,708 points, second in 3-pointers made with 253, second in 3-point shooting percentage at 41.1 percent and seventh in games played with 128.
His name, tattoos and 3-point shooting gained Pittsnogle national recognition, eventually leading to the explosion of the phrase “You’ve been Pittsnogled.” A Sports Illustrated article in 2006 was titled “Everybody’s Been Pittsnogled!”
Ford, meanwhile, doesn’t have as many positive press clippings. He reportedly filed more than 22,000 “John Doe” lawsuits in 2010, accusing individuals across the country of downloading adult films with titles like Teen Anal Nightmare 2 and Juicy White Anal Booty 4.
Pittsnogle is alleging that he lost the fee paid to Ford and incurred extra expenses by having to hire a new lawyer and file a civil lawsuit. Attorney Christopher Janelle is representing Pittsnogle in both.
Pittsnogle also alleged that he suffered mental and emotional distress, inconvenience and annoyance, loss of income and loss of time. He alleges breach of contract, negligence/malpractice and unjust enrichment. He seeks damages, interests and costs.