Disciplinary Actions 08/05/20
Read who has resigned, been placed on probation or suspended from the practice of law in Indiana during the most recent reporting period.
Disciplinary Commission
Articles
Indianapolis attorney convicted of OWI suspended for 90 days
An Indianapolis attorney has been suspended for 90 days with automatic reinstatement following his conviction of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and several violations of the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct related to client representation.
Merrillville attorney’s discipline converted to indefinite suspension
Indiana Supreme Court justices have indefinitely suspended a Lake County lawyer who was suspended earlier this year for failing to cooperate with the disciplinary commission concerning a grievance against him.
Ex-judge accused of trust theft, his lawyer sanctioned for bid to ‘mislead’ court
An ex-Indiana judge whose former law office is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from an estate he established that was meant to go to charity has been sanctioned — as has his defense attorney — after a judge ruled they made false statements and attempted to mislead the court in the charity’s civil lawsuit.
AG Hill pledges support to ‘conservative principles’ after convention defeat
In the aftermath of a convention defeat that will keep him from serving a second term in office, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is vowing to “continue to support and fight for our conservative principles.” Hill, however, did not explicitly endorse Republican AG nominee Todd Rokita.
Disciplinary commission warns of social media slip-ups that can violate rules
Lawyers must proactively police and amend their social media pages to ensure third-party comments don’t break ethical rules, a new advisory opinion from the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission says.
Indianapolis family law attorney gets stayed suspension after disorderly conduct
An Indianapolis attorney who pled guilty to disorderly conduct arising from a domestic altercation at home has received a stayed suspension from the Indiana Supreme Court, causing a divide among the justices, two of whom favored an active suspension.
Fort Wayne lawyer who neglected multiple clients agrees to 180-day suspension
An Allen County lawyer who admitted to bilking multiple clients and neglecting their cases will be suspended from the practice of law for 180 days without automatic reinstatement, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
Crown Point, Chesterton attorneys get stayed suspensions for attorney misconduct
Two Northern Indiana attorneys have received stayed suspensions stemming from their individual attorney misconduct, the Indiana Supreme Court ordered on Thursday. Both attorneys acknowledged that they mismanaged trust accounts and commingled client funds.
Disciplinary Actions 06/24/20
Read who has been subject to Indiana Supreme Court discipline orders in the most recent reporting period.
AG candidates make final pleas to GOP delegates
The crowded field of lawyers seeking the Indiana GOP nomination for attorney general will soon be narrowed to one as the four candidates make their final pleas for support from the state’s Republican delegates. The field includes embattled AG Curtis Hill, Decatur County Prosecutor Nate Hater, former Rep. Todd Rokita and Bose McKinney & Evans attorney John Westercamp.
AG Hill accusers vow to pursue ‘all available civil claims’ in state court
After a federal court ruling that terminated Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill as a defendant in their lawsuit, the four women who accuse Hill of sexual misconduct say they will “continue their pursuit of all available civil claims” against the AG.
Indianapolis attorney who took assistant’s Social Security withholdings disbarred
An Indianapolis attorney who converted his only employee’s Social Security withholdings for his own personal use for more than a decade has been disbarred from the practice of law after the Indiana Supreme Court found that he had committed attorney misconduct.
Fishers attorney gets stayed suspension, JLAP monitoring, over misconduct in 2 cases
A Fishers attorney has agreed to a stayed suspension in an attorney misconduct case, acknowledging he charged unreasonable fees and failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in two cases in which former clients filed grievances against him.
Attorney gets law license probation after second OWI
An Indianapolis lawyer who pleaded guilty in early 2019 to his second drunken-driving conviction in less than five years received a stayed 30-day suspension subject to two years of probation in an Indiana Supreme Court attorney discipline order handed down Friday.
Indiana Democrats prepare to choose attorney general nominee
Indiana Democrats are announcing this week who will run for state attorney general in November. Longtime state Sen. Karen Tallian and former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel are vying for the nomination, a selection made by state party delegates rather than primary election voters.
AG’s office wins delay in suit challenging Hill’s eligibility
Lawyers for the Indiana Attorney General’s Office asked for a change of judge late Thursday on the eve of the first scheduled hearing in a lawsuit seeking to declare suspended Attorney General Curtis Hill ineligible to serve. Lawyers for the AG’s Office — who also filed on behalf of Gov. Eric Holcomb — also asked to vacate the hearing.
Suit asks judge to decide AG Hill’s eligibility before suspension ends
Plaintiffs who have filed a lawsuit seeking to remove suspended Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill have asked the judge in the case to rule on Hill’s eligibility to continue to serve before his 30-day suspension concludes on Wednesday.
AG Hill terminated as defendant in groping accusers’ federal lawsuit
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has won a victory in the continued fallout of the sexual misconduct allegations against him, successfully moving a federal judge to dismiss him as a defendant in a civil lawsuit brought against him and the Indiana Legislature. Also, the state lawmaker who helped initiate the complaint has been dismissed as a plaintiff.
Lawsuit on suspended AG Hill’s fate stalls
A lawyer maintains the Indiana attorney general’s office is trying to stymie a court fight on whether Republican Attorney General Curtis Hill can be ousted from office while his law license remains suspended until next week for groping four women during a party.