Quanell X sued by family alleging he passed himself off as a lawyer

Quanell X, leader of the New Black Panther Party, during a visit to the South Acres street where he grew up, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, in Houston. Quanell spent time dealing drugs in the area, especially at the intersection three doors down from his grandmother's house. less Quanell X, leader of the New Black Panther Party, during a visit to the South Acres street where he grew up, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, in Houston. Quanell spent time dealing drugs in the area, especially ... more Photo: Houston Chronicle Photo: Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Quanell X sued by family alleging he passed himself off as a lawyer 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

A Houston-area mother and son are suing activist Quanell X, alleging he passed himself off as a lawyer and took money for legal services he never delivered.

But the long-time civil rights advocate pushed back, saying he "categorically and emphatically" denied the claims, and his contracts make clear that he's not an attorney

The seeds of the dispute started last year, when Mahalia John paid Quanell - whose real name is Ralph Evans - $2,500 to get her son's criminal record expunged, according to court filings.

IN FEBRUARY: People's New Black Panther Party disassociates with Quanell X

Quanell allegedly told the Johns they could get rid of their existing lawyer and let him take over. But then, the family says, Quanell never delivered.

"Mr. Evans wrongfully held himself himself out to be an attorney," the suit alleges. "Mr. Evans provided zero services to Ms. John at anytime, and specifically no services related to the contract and payment for services to him."

Quanell disputed that.

"At no time have I ever told anyone that I am an attorney or that I practice law," he said. "Whenever someone brings me onto a case, on the contract it clearly state in bold that I am not an attorney."

The lawsuit, filed in Harris County court Monday, is the second such claim against Quanell in as many months. In June, Latorsha and Wiley Smith filed a lawsuit claiming they'd paid $3,500 for legal representation and also received "zero services."

Attorney Drew Willey is handling both cases, and asking for a $10,000 penalty in addition to at least $100,000 in damages.

Earlier this year, the People's New Black Panther Party parted ways with Quanell amid ongoing allegations he'd failed to deliver services to families he was paid to represent.

"This has been going on for over a decade in the community," Yahcanon Ben Yah, the party's national chairman, said at the time. "He has been in this situation before and what we want to do now is come out and let the people know that we do not condone his actions. He is not a part of us. He is not our leader."

Quanell built a name for himself as an outspoken advocate for victims of police brutality and corruption, helping criminals turn themselves in and garnering media coverage in high-profile cases.

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A former drug dealer and erstwhile minister, he found himself the subject of controversy in 2016 when a group of his detractors held a press conference to accuse him of bilking them on agreements.

"We welcome any member of the human family to reach out to us for help but when you do, please tell us the truth and don't leave out any important facts," Quanell said in a statement at the time. "Often, people come to us claiming racism and when we research and investigate the case, we learn that racism has nothing to do with the case. Just because you have retained my office to help you does not mean we will lie for you."

Quanell has not responded in court to either of the recent suits and said he had not yet formally been served.