Douglas Crane Broeker

DOUGLAS CRANE BROEKER AND ROBERT SWEETAPPLE ARE TWO DISHONEST, UNTRUSTWORTHY AND UNSCRUPULOUS ATTORNEYS. BE AWARE.... They lied to us. They betrayed us. They breached our trust. They collected money from us without doing the job they were hired to do. In November 2021, Sweetapple and Broeker were retained by my husband and me to specifically handle some post-trial procedures on a case brought against us by a con artist who had stolen $1.1 Million Dollars from us after breaching a contract to purchase my husband’s business mortgage banking licenses. Robert Sweetapple and Douglas Broeker were hired specifically by us to undertake the post-trial activities on our case including but not limited to file a 50(B) Motion, request a new trial and file an appeal if necessary. They did not perform the services which they were hired to do and paid approximately $110,000 in legal fees by my husband and me. They failed to competently proceed with the prosecution of our case. During the time of their engagement they did almost nothing in furtherance of our interests, we lost the chance for a retrial and appeal due to their failure to file the appropriate post-trial motions to preserve our case for appeal thereby leaving us without a remedy for relief. Knowing in advance we stood no chance at appeal due to their failure to preserve our issue for appeal, they then neglected our appeal case and missed all crucial deadlines. We, of course, lost the appeal. That was no big surprise to Sweetapple and Broeker. Their failure to preserve our appeal by filing the 50(b) motion and asking for a new trial during those crucial 30 days following the jury verdict failed below the standard of care of attorneys. By failing to properly preserve our issue for appeal after the trial within the allotted time which Robert Sweetapple and Douglas Broeker were hired to do and paid for by us, Robert Sweetapple and Douglas Broeker deprived us from the relief we could have obtained on appeal. We ended up with a $2.5 Million Dollars judgment against us. Robert Sweetapple and Douglas Broeker owed us a duty of care arising from the attorney-client relationship, they failed that duty. Robert Sweetapple and Douglas Broeker not only breached our agreement but they failed to represent us with due care. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THE SERVICES OF ATTORNEY ROBERT A. SWEETAPPLE AND DOUGLAS CRANE BROEKER NOR THEIR LAW FIRM SWEETAPPLE BROEKER & VARKAS TO ANYONE. THEY SIMPLY CAN'T BE TRUSTED.