Lawyer disbarred after borrowing $16K from client, not paying it back
A Florida lawyer has been disbarred for borrowing $16,000 from a client and then failing to repay it. (Photo by SimpleImages/Getty Images)
A Florida lawyer has been disbarred for borrowing $16,000 from a client and then failing to repay it.
The St. Johns Citizen reported Wednesday that estate lawyer Marsha Sharlene Johnson of St. Augustine, Florida, had been accused of several ethics violations, including lying about filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.
According to documents filed in June by the Florida Bar in the Florida Supreme Court, Johnson admitted that she engaged in a conflict of interest by borrowing $16,000 from an elderly client after learning of confidential information regarding his financial circumstances obtained through the attorney-client relationship.
Johnson admitted that she did not include a provision in the loan agreement that the client retain independent counsel, and she admitted that she did not pay back the loan.
She was also accused of lying to a judge in a lawsuit relating to a separate debt that she incurred while buying another law practice. A default judgment against her was eventually issued after she did not file pleadings or responses. She also conceded that she had not filed for bankruptcy, despite previously claiming to have done so.
According to the July 9 disbarment order, Johnson is allowed to seek readmission after five years. Johnson was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2012.
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