Lawyer gets probated suspension in Lysol can attack
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A Kentucky lawyer convicted for an aerosol can attack on another lawyer has received a 180-day suspension of his law license, but it won’t be imposed if he stays out of disciplinary and legal trouble for two years.
The Kentucky Supreme Court imposed the negotiated sanction in a Jan. 21 order and opinion, report the Legal Profession Blog and WDRB. The lawyer, Lindsey Scott, won’t be suspended if he commits no new crimes, faces no new ethics charges, shows proof of mental health treatment, pays costs and satisfies bar requirements.
The attack victim, lawyer James “J.R.” Moore, said on Facebook that he was peacefully eating breakfast in a courthouse conference room in July 2019 when Scott attacked him with a Lysol can. Moore told a local publication that he got about a dozen staples for his cuts.
Scott pleaded guilty in August 2019 to fourth-degree assault and was sentenced to 180 days in jail. The sentence didn’t have to be served unless he committed new offenses, had contact with Moore and did not receive treatment for anger management.
Scott suffered from major depressive disorder and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the incident, according to the opinion by Kentucky Chief Justice John Minton. Scott currently receives mental health treatment.
Scott maintains he is profoundly affected by an eight-year incarceration on charges for which he was ultimately exonerated. He had been wrongly accused of raping and trying to kill the wife of a fellow Marine.
Scott had no prior disciplinary record and he was cooperative during the ethics proceedings, Minton said.
