Lawyers sue relatives of murder victim Bernice Cassar

Updated 11.55am

Relatives of murder victim Bernice Cassar are being sued by two of their lawyers, who claim they are owed more than €55,000 in unpaid fees and expenses. 

Lawyers Marita Pace Dimech and Ann Marie Cutajar Galea have indicated they intend to summon Robert Abela, two of his ministers and several other top government officials in their legal battle against Cassar's relatives.  

A suit the two lawyers filed before the Civil Court on June 17 cites six members of Cassar's family - her parents and four siblings - as respondents. 

Cassar was murdered by her estranged husband while she was driving to work at the Corradino Industrial Estate in November 2022.  Roderick Cassar initially pleaded not guilty but admitted to the crime a month before his trial by jury began. He is now serving a 40-year prison sentence. 

Bernice Cassar (second from left) with her parents and siblings.

Pace Dimech and Cutajar Galea say they represented the family in various cases concerning the murder, including talks with the government over compensation. 

Their suit alleges that the government first offered the family €250,000 in compensation but eventually upped that offer to €1 million. A private compensation agreement was signed and concluded on May 28, 2026, the lawyers say.  

The two lawyers say the family sidelined them shortly before the compensation agreement was signed. 

Their filing quotes correspondence from one family member stating that the family was not disputing the work that the lawyers carried out, but wanted the bill to reflect both its financial position and the existing professional relationship.

The family also sought to include a clause in an acknowledgement of debt, reserving their right to raise professional negligence and ethical breach claims against their lawyers. 

But the lawyers claim that the family knew beforehand that their professional fees would amount to €50,000, excluding VAT, and that the money they are owed is undisputed and that no such exceptions apply.

That sum factored in their legal fees as well as a success fee owed as part of the €1 million compensation agreement. They also say the government subsequently increased the allocation for legal expenses for the compensation deal from €50,000 to €100,000.

Lawyers Marita Pace Dimech and Ann Marie Cutajar Galea.

The filing indicates tensions concerning prosecutors' decision to strike a plea bargain deal with Roderick Cassar to avoid taking the case to trial. The lawyers said they arranged for the family to meet prosecutors with the Attorney General's permission, and described a series of meetings with family members about the potential admission and its consequences, including the impact on related civil proceedings.

The lawyers say they continued providing advice despite disagreements within the family over how the criminal case should proceed.

Lawyers Marita Pace Dimech and Ann Marie Cutajar Galea are asking the court to order the family to pay €55,632.93, together with legal costs and interest. 

The filing cites Joseph Cilia, Maria Carmela (Marlene) Cilia, Alessia Cilia Portelli, Peter Paul Cilia, Karsten Cilia Zarb and Clarice Micallef Cilia as respondents. 

Correction July 18, 2026: A previous version stated that the allocation for legal fees was raised to €75,000. It was raised to €100,000.