Kentucky Bar Association v. Thomas Steven Poteat, 2020 – SC – 00227 – KB (September 24, 2020). A lawyer was suspended for failing to complete continuing legal education requirements. The opinion summarizes the facts as follows:
Poteat was suspended from the practice of law on January 23, 2014, for failure to comply with Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements. He has not since been restored to practice. The Notice of Suspension required Poteat to “notify all Courts in which he … has matters pending, and all clients for whom he … is actively involved in litigation and similar matters, of his … inability to continue representation and of the necessity and urgency of promptly retaining new counsel.”
Nevertheless, Poteat continued to represent John Ford in Ohio Circuit Court, 10-CI-00530, in a property dispute. Poteat failed to inform Mr. Ford he was suspended and was unable to continue representation.
As part of that representation, Poteat and opposing counsel discussed entering into an agreed order to determine the property ownership. Poteat represented to his client, Mr. Ford, the agreement would determine the property ownership in his favor, and Mr. Ford consented to the agreement. Poteat signed the agreed order on behalf of Mr. Ford in December 2014, and the circuit court entered it on January 26, 2015. The agreed order referenced a survey dated September 2, 2004, which was previously entered into the record, and provided, “[t]he Counterclaim of Defendant, John B. Ford, including all claims contained therein that assert any ownership rights with respect to any of the property owned by Plaintiffs, as described in the above-referenced survey, is dismissed with prejudice.”
Poteat sent a letter dated April 23, 2015, to the KBA requesting to be restored to active status.
Approximately two years after the Ohio Circuit Court entered the agreed order, Poteat’s client, Mr. Ford, learned that the survey referenced in the agreed order was not what Poteat represented to him, and the property ownership was decided to Mr. Ford’s detriment. Mr. Ford contacted Poteat, who explained he believed the agreed order referenced a different survey that was to Mr. Ford’s benefit and said he would take care of it. Poteat took no further action.
Mr. Ford then consulted another attorney, Cheryl Spalding, who first informed Mr. Ford of Poteat’s suspension. On February 15, 2017, Spalding filed a motion to set aside the agreed order. On May 2, 2017, as part of that proceeding, Poteat testified he was not aware he was suspended when he signed the agreed order.
The Ohio Circuit Court entered an order on September 29, 2017, denying the motion to set aside the agreed order, and Spalding filed a notice of appeal on October 27, 2017. On April 12, 2019, the Court of Appeals affirmed the Ohio Circuit Court’s order denying the motion to set aside the agreed order.
The Inquiry Commission filed a five-count Charge against Poteat on November 14, 2019. The Charge asserted violations of:
SCR 3.130(1.4)(a)(5): “A lawyer shall: … (5) consult with the client about any relevant limitation on the lawyer’s conduct when the lawyer knows that the client expects assistance not permitted by the Rules of Professional Conduct or other law.”
SCR 3.130(5.5)(a): “A lawyer shall not practice law in a jurisdiction in violation of the regulation of the legal profession in that jurisdiction, or assist another in doing so.”
SCR 3.130(8.4)(c): “It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to: … (c) engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.”
SCR 3.130(3.4)(c): “A lawyer shall not: … (c) knowingly disobey an obligation under the rules of a tribunal except for an open refusal based on an assertion that no valid obligation exists.”
SCR 3.130(8.1)(b): [A] lawyer in connection … with a disciplinary matter, shall not: … knowingly fail to respond to a lawful demand for information from an admissions or disciplinary authority.”
Poteat was personally served with the Charge on December 10, 2019. He did not file an answer or respond otherwise. After due deliberation, the Board of Governors voted to find Poteat guilty of violating the five Supreme Court Rules as charged, the vote being 18-0 for each count.
After making the preceding findings and considering Poteat’s disciplinary record, seven known applicable aggravating factors, and no known applicable mitigating factors, fourteen (14) Board members voted in favor of permanent disbarment and payment of costs in this action and four (4) Board members voted in favor of a five-year suspension and payment of costs in this action.
The Kentucky Supreme Court accepted the recommendation.
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