Summary: An Indiana attorney was permanently disbarred from ever practicing law after a repugnant pattern of behavior involving an ex-girlfriend.
The Indiana Supreme Court has placed a permanent disbarment upon an attorney who engaged in stalking activities with a previous girlfriend. The ex-girlfriend, JR, was his daughter’s college roommate in 2008. She ended the relationship after four months, beginning a story of abuse and harassment.
During the relationship and after, the married attorney sent JR over 7,199 emails with most being addressed in a manipulative, abuse and threatening manner. He borrowed $8,000 and set the condition of repayment as meeting together. He also threatened to commit suicide in an attempt to sway her.
The attorney threatened to expose explicit photographs taken during their four-month relationship to family, friends, and everyone else while accusing her of being a “whore” and “slut” that suffered from mental disorders. He carried out this threat through emails to people and through a blog he created that identified her by name and displayed the explicit photographs.
The harassment led to the associate dean of students at Indiana University Maurer School of Law to become involved. The attorney adamantly declared that they were in a voluntary relationship and that she suffered from mental illness, substance abuse, physical abuse, and self-mutilation.
JR obtained a restraining order against the attorney but he continued to break it. He instead tried to sue JR in a state court claiming malicious prosecution and abuse of process. He continued on by filing a federal court action against her and others for false arrest. He claimed their relationship was “mutual, consensual, and not unwelcome”.
He claimed in court that there was no evidence that he had acted in a stalking or harassment like manner. The hearing officer did not agree with his claims and found the contrary to be true.
The court found deep concern for his lack of regard for “no” as an answer and of no remorse for his actions. The attorney had already been suspended for CLE non-compliance.
Source: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2015/04/disbarment-has-been-imposed-by-the-indiana-supreme-court-who-among-other-things-maintained-a-tempestuous-long-distance-rela.html
Photo: thegazette.com