Lawyer who represents sex abuse victims is suspended for relationship with 'vulnerable client'
A Philadelphia lawyer who represents victims of sexual abuse and assault has received a minimum one-year suspension for a personal relationship with an Australian client pursuing allegations against the Church of Scientology. (Image from Shutterstock)
A Philadelphia lawyer who represents victims of sexual abuse and assault has received a minimum one-year suspension for a personal relationship with an Australian client pursuing allegations against the Church of Scientology.
In a May 23 order, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court suspended lawyer Brian Dooley Kent of Philadelphia for three years, with two years stayed as long as he meets conditions that include a counseling requirement.
According to a joint petition for discipline on consent, Kent engaged in “personal, flirtatious and sexually suggestive” communications with the client that culminated in physical touching. The conduct happened during Kent’s investigation of the client’s claims.
Kent’s conduct “had a substantial negative impact on his client and adversely affected the attorney-client relationship,” the joint petition said.
Kent is a former sex-crimes prosecutor and a “once-prominent” lawyer who represented victims in “high-profile sexual abuse cases,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports (via MSN). His clients included people who said they were sexually abused as youths by Jerry Sandusky, a former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer and PhillyMag.com.
Kent said he was motivated to represent sexual assault victims because he was sexually abused by a priest when he was in the fourth and fifth grades, according to a joint petition for discipline on consent.
Kent and the client engaged in sexual touching during trips to Los Angeles in June 2019 and October 2019 in connection with the case, the joint petition said. On the first visit, the client offered Kent an “Indian head massage” to help with a respiratory virus. The second time, she promised a “spa experience.”
Kent later told the client that their relationship had to remain professional, but she continued to send him messages expressing her love and how his changed communications made it feel like her heart “was smashed into a million pieces.” He did not drop the case until he told the client in January 2021 that his law firm could not bring a claim on her behalf, the petition said.
The nature of Kent’s practice “as an advocate for victims of abuse placed him in a position of trust with particularly vulnerable clients,” the joint petition said. “By virtue of his reputation and position, he gained the trust of a vulnerable client and then abused that trust.”
Kent had no other record of discipline since he became a Pennsylvania attorney in 2004. He also showed remorse for his actions.
The Philadelphia Inquirer published a statement by Kent’s lawyer, Ellen Brotman. She said Kent is “deeply remorseful for the harm he caused to his client, his family and to the legal profession.”
“For the past several years, he has committed to becoming a better person, parent, spouse and lawyer,” Brotman said. “He is grateful for the support he has received from family, friends and colleagues. He will continue this healing process and abide by all the conditions of his probation.”
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