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A Predator in the Legal System
Destroying small businesses, abusing the law, and filing baseless lawsuits for profit.
The situation
Abel H. Fernandez, founding partner of Diefer Law Group in Irvine, CA, has turned his law firm into a machine for filing predatory and baseless lawsuits against small businesses. This is not about justice—this is about profit at any cost, regardless of the lives and livelihoods destroyed along the way.
Diefer Law Group doesn’t investigate the facts. They don’t care who’s responsible. Their strategy is simple: sue everyone involved, throw accusations at the wall, and pressure small businesses into paying up to avoid financial ruin. It’s a predatory business model designed to exploit the legal system and harm those who cannot afford to fight back.
In one case, the firm filed a lawsuit under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) against a staffing agency and multiple individuals, even though the law clearly states that such claims must identify one responsible party. When this was exposed during a deposition, instead of admitting fault or correcting their approach, Diefer Law Group doubled down. Melissa Newman Avila, one of Fernandez’s attorneys, retaliated by filing a personal lawsuit against the company’s manager—an action so blatantly illegal and unethical that it raises serious questions about the culture of the firm.
This type of behavior doesn’t happen in a vacuum. As the founding partner, Abel H. Fernandez is either directly approving these tactics or has completely lost control of his firm. He has created an environment where attorneys are free to act with reckless disregard for the law, using intimidation, retaliation, and financial pressure to achieve their goals.
Diefer Law Group markets itself as a firm of “aggressive” attorneys. But what they fail to mention is that their version of aggression is rooted in abuse of power, unethical practices, and outright lawbreaking. They don’t care about the truth, and they don’t care about fairness. They only care about forcing small businesses into settlements to pad their profits.
Abel H. Fernandez must be held accountable for these predatory practices. His law firm is harming small businesses, exploiting the legal system, and setting a dangerous precedent for the entire legal profession. Whether he is directly involved or has allowed his attorneys to run wild, the blame lies at the top—with him.