'Naked photographer' wins reinstatement of his law license
A former Ohio lawyer dubbed the “naked photographer” by the news media has won reinstatement of his law license, subject to some conditions.
The Ohio Supreme Court reinstated (PDF) former Columbus lawyer Stephen Linnen on Monday, report the Columbus Dispatch, NBC4i.com and the Associated Press.
Linnen, formerly legal counsel to the speaker of the Ohio house, was suspended (PDF) in 2006, two years after he pleaded guilty to 53 misdemeanors. Prosecutors had alleged he approached 38 women while wearing only athletic shoes and a stocking cap, then photographed their surprised reaction. The incidents occurred in 2002 and 2003.
Bradley Frick, a lawyer for the Columbus Bar Association, said the group did not oppose reinstatement. Three mental-health professionals testified in an October hearing on Linnen’s bid to regain his law license that he was rehabilitated and had a low chance of relapse, Frick told the Dispatch.
For the next three years, Linnen will have to participate in the Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program and serve a monitored probation period.
