Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Worgul, Sarna & Ness, Criminal Defense Attorneys LLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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Worgul, Sarna & Ness, Criminal Defense Attorneys LLC has 4 locations, listed below.

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  Worgul, Sarna & Ness, Criminal Defense Attorneys LLC

  332 Fifth Avenue, Floor 1 Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2411

• 

  Worgul, Sarna & Ness, Criminal Defense Attorneys LLC

  127 E Cunningham St Unit 2 Butler, PA 16001-5917

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  Worgul, Sarna & Ness, Criminal Defense Attorneys LLC

  336 College Ave Ste 201 Beaver, PA 15009-2231

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  Worgul, Sarna & Ness, Criminal Defense Attorneys LLC

  121 N Main St Ste 108 Greensburg, PA 15601-2408

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/02/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I hired the firm on 9/24/2024 to represent me as the plaintiff in a restraining order hearing and as the defendant at the preliminary hearing for a simple assault charge. On 9/26/2024, a different lawyer represented me for the *** and pushed the date of the hearing out 30 days. In the meantime, I moved out of state in part to get away from the abuser. Just before the *** hearing, the lawyer called me to recommend dropping the *** because the judge wouldn't approve it since I lived out to state. I was told by other lawyers later that the *** should have been extended, and the lawyer was being lazy. The preliminary hearing for the simple assault charge was 11/7/2024. I'd been trying to speak with the lawyer who would be representing me. The admin **** was the one who I communicated with, would tell me she was passing on the information. Finally, a couple days before the hearing, the lawyer called me. I attempted to tell him the story, but he stopped me and said that I can't talk to him because I'd incriminate myself and wouldn't be able to keep my story straight in court. I told him my story wouldn't change because I'm telling the truth. I started to weep on the phone because the case has taken an emotional toll on me, but he angrily told me there's nothing to cry about and to get over it. He treated me as guilty throughout the call. I said I'd send him the documentation I had so he could review it before court. On the day of court, the lawyer wasn't there, so I called the office. **** told me the lawyer was running late. When I lawyer finally arrived, I asked him if he'd read what I'd sent, and I was told no. He literally told me "Look, I don't care about you. All I care about is winning, and that should be all you need to worry about". The hearing lasted 5 minutes. This is when the charge should have been dismissed due to lack of evidence, etc. I paid the firm $2000 to represent me but I was treated as guilty and was told by the lawyer he didn't care about me.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/20/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** ******e to court by myself until he found out i was mad. I did accept the fee agreement that states no refunds. Above that in the fee agreement, it states that they would represent me for said charges. I do not feel sending me to court by myself is proper representation. The attorney they sent actually made it worse than if he wasnt there at all.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/21/2024

  The individual contracted with our law firm to handle his dui for a flat, non-refundable fee of $2,500. We did notify him of a scheduling conflict in our calendar due to one of the attorneys being in a trial. We explained to the client that all he had to do was walk in and sign for a non-monetary bail, and that the actual court hearing was being rescheduled. He was not happy about this, so we called the Court, put the original court date back on, and went to Court. A few days after the Court hearing, I received an email indicating *** ****** was not happy and had hired another lawyer to finish his case. I explained to him we would do all we can to help, and that we were willing and able to continue to represent him in his case. He said he wanted to go with another attorney, and I explained that we had already started his case, had all paperwork in with the Court, and would likely get him the best possible outcome. Despite this, he chose to go with another attorney. Again, our contract is for a flat fee and is non-refundable. The work was partially performed, and it is his choice, not our fault, that he chose to go another route. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/01/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  I contacted the BOP directly and within a few hours of opening up the office they confirmed that Worgul and Associates **NEVER SUBMITTED ANYTHING TO THEM** 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* ***********

  Business Response

  Date: 07/11/2024

  *** **********r hired us on or about April 4, 2023, to file paperwork with the PA Board of Pardons.  It was explained to him that the process takes approximately 3-4 years to complete.  The initial filings do not take very long, but once they are submitted to the state bureaucracy, it is not unusual to wait a year or more until the paperwork is actually being reviewed.   
  
  Nonetheless, we immediately started acquiring the requisite documents.  On or about June 9, 2023, *** *********** came into the office to work on his narrative portion of the application with my associate, Christopher Larson.  At the meeting, *** *********** preferred to type the narrative out himself so we just discussed what type of statement would be the most beneficial.
  
  On or about July 11, 2023, *** *********** emailed us a finished copy of his narrative.  On or about July 14, 2023, *** *********** dropped a hard copy off at the office.  On or about July 24, 2023, the application was mailed to the Board of Pardons.  I have copies of the letter that we sent out but I am not permitted to turn it over without client permission.
  
  Once the application is mailed out to the Board, it can take a very long time to hear back or for there to be an acknowledgement of receipt.  For example, another client hired us to handle a pardon in March of 2020.  After gathering all relevant information, the application was mailed to the Board on April 28, 2020.  We did not receive an acknowledgement of receipt until September 7, 2021!  To be sure, the onset of the pandemic certainly added to the wait time, but 6 months to a year seems to be normal. 

   Thank you.
  

  Mike