Johnson’s lawyer seeks to secure funds in lawsuit against attorneys

Dustin Johnson’s lawsuit originally filed Nov. 3 against his former attorney Nat Hardwick and Hardwick’s two law partners in Atlanta is ongoing and had a new filing this past week.

Johnson’s attorney requested that the court ensure $4 million won’t be transferred by the defendants from the state of Georgia so it will be available if Johnson wins his suit.

“I think they have a certain amount of time to reply,” Johnson said Sunday. “I really don’t know much about it. I just want my money back. I don’t care how he gets it, just get it.”

In the original suit, the Coastal Carolina alumnus alleged Hardwick and his two equity partners in the Morris Hardwick Schneider law firm, brothers Mark and Gerard ‘Rod’ Wittstadt, conspired to bilk him of $3 million with a fabricated investment opportunity.

In an amended suit filed Nov. 17, Johnson portrayed Hardwick as a “pawn” that was used by his former law partners to secure Johnson’s $3 million loan for their gain, with no intentions of repaying it, before they managed to oust Hardwick from the firm. The $4 million total Johnson is seeking was built into the contract if payments weren’t made on time.

Though Hardwick remains a defendant in the suit, Johnson referred to him as a trusted adviser in court documents and told Rex Hoggard of GolfChannel.com in late January that he has been in contact with Hardwick and that the two remain friends.

“He’s always been a really great friend of mine, and I still don’t believe that he did anything wrong to me,” Johnson told Hoggard. “Obviously it’s an ongoing case and we’ll see what happens. He’s a good friend, and I don’t believe he tried to do anything wrong.”

This story was originally published May 10, 2015 at 7:08 PM with the headline "Johnson’s lawyer seeks to secure funds in lawsuit against attorneys."