Legal Ethics
Ohio Lawyer Gets 1-Year Suspension; Bought Jag & Boat, Let Taxes Go Unpaid
Posted May 7, 2009, 12:49 pm CST
By Martha Neil
When John Large received a $72,000 fee in 2002 for settling a personal injury case, he bought a used Jaguar and his boat.
But the Ohio attorney didn't use the money to catch up on his unpaid income tax, reports the Vindicator.
In practice since 1997, Large soon got behind on his tax payments. In 2007 he pleaded guilty to four federal misdemeanor counts of failing to file personal tax returns. And this week the Ohio Supreme Court suspended his law license for one year, the newspaper recounts.
Although a disciplinary board had recommended six months, Large's purchase of the boat and the car apparently helped persuade the supreme court to impose a heftier penalty. The opinion also cites his payment, so far, of only about $1,500 of the $88,077 in restitution he is required to pay the Internal Revenue Service in what the supreme court termed Large's "pattern of misconduct motivated by his selfish desire to delay the payment of his tax obligation."
The Vindicator couldn't reach Large for comment yesterday. However, the supreme court notes his cooperation, good character and reputation and lack of any prior disciplinary record in its opinion.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: "April is the Cruelest Month for Lawyers Behind on Their Taxes"
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