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<p>An independent expert who was ordered to calculate former attorney Robert Powell&#8217;s net worth by Feb. 6 as part of &#8220;Kids for Cash&#8221; litigation did not receive all requested financial information, according to a recent court filing.</p><p>U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo issued an order June 6 setting a 21-day deadline for the expert, Thomas Pratt, to identify for legal counsel the potentially relevant unavailable financial information he had referenced in his net worth report.</p><p>Attorneys must schedule a conference with the court after this information is received, Caputo&#8217;s order said.</p><p>Pratt had requested 31 documents and materials from Powell.</p><p>The recent court order does not provide any clues on the type of information not available.</p><p>The matter stems from a 2009 legal action filed by 1,800 parents and juveniles against Powell and others linked to a judicial corruption scandal.</p><p>Powell paid the plaintiffs $4.75 million as part of a settlement agreement, and his potential payment of up to $2.75 million more hinges on his net worth.</p><p>Caputo&#8217;s order was a partial granting of the plaintiffs&#8217; motion seeking court interpretation of their settlement agreement with the Powell defendants, which also include the Powell Law Group PC and Powell&#8217;s company, Vision Holdings LLC.</p><p>The status of the Feb. 6 net worth calculation had been unclear because lawyers were not commenting and the court docket had no activity for more than a month after the expert&#8217;s report was due.</p><p>On March 9, the plaintiffs filed a motion asking the judge to interpret and enforce the settlement agreement. However, all documents associated with this request were sealed.</p><p>Attorney Sol H. Weiss in Philadelphia, one of the lead plaintiff lawyers, declined further comment Monday beyond acknowledgement of the 21-day order.</p><p>Powell&#8217;s attorney, Stephen S. Stallings of Pittsburgh, could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.</p><p>Both sides hired Pratt, of Pittsburgh, to calculate the net worth because the plaintiffs had immediately rejected Powell&#8217;s January 2017 estimate that he has a negative net worth exempting him from paying more.</p><p>This isn&#8217;t the first time the plaintiffs sought court intervention. They asked the judge to set a net worth calculation deadline in September. Powell&#8217;s attorney had argued against this request, saying the heavily-negotiated settlement agreement did not contain a time limit.</p><p>Caputo concluded the Feb. 6 deadline was reasonable for Pratt to present his final report because it was one year after his formal engagement.</p><p>A Hazleton-area native, Powell served an 18-month prison sentence for failing to report a $2.8 million kickback scheme involving former county judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella and two juvenile detention centers Powell had co-owned, court records show. The two former judges are still serving federal prison sentences.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_powellcmyk.jpeg.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Powell </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_powellcmyk.jpeg.jpg</photo0><caption0>Powell </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Judge issues order regarding Robert Powell’s net worth calculation