A Pickerington attorney will not be able to practice law for 18 months after the Ohio Supreme Court suspended him for taking money from clients and not doing legal work, lying to a Franklin County judge and giving his clients false information.
The court announced July 9 that it suspended Jeffrey D. Hunter for two years, with six months of that suspension stayed. Hunter has been a lawyer since 1993.
The misconduct allegations began in 2020 when a woman contacted Hunter for help filing a request for early release from prison on behalf of her brother. Hunter took $2,500 from the woman but didn’t tell her that there was no way to reduct the man’s sentence. Court records show Hunter did not file paperwork to represent the man for almost two years.
Court records also show that Hunter sent the woman text messages intended to appear as if they were from his assistant. In reality, he was sending them himself to avoid communication with his client, according to court records. After the woman asked for a refund, Hunter delayed providing it for several months and only sent the money back after intervention from the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct.
Court: Ohio attorney no-shows hearing for murder suspect
In a second case, the family of a man charged with murder in Franklin County Common Pleas Court hired Hunter to represent the criminal suspect. Hunter charged $12,500 as a flat fee for his representation but failed to attend two scheduled hearings in 2023, according to court records. Hunter told the judge overseeing the case he had missed the second court date because he had been traveling to attend a funeral.
The judge in the case demanded that Hunter appear for a hearing in person and provide proof of his travel. Hunter changed the person whose funeral he said he was attending and provided a photograph of a luggage tag for his wife, court records say.
Hunter did not show up to the mandatory hearing or a psychiatric hearing for his client a week later, court records say. When Hunter did appear at a follow-up hearing in September 2023, he told the judge he had visited his client in the Franklin County jail, despite jail records directly contradicting his statements.
“When the court confronted Hunter with proof that he had not visited the jail since July 10, he alleged that the sheriff’s records were inaccurate,” the Supreme Court’s decision says.
The judge removed Hunter from the case and filed a complaint with the disciplinary board in November 2023. Court records say Hunter did not refund the man’s family the $12,500.
Lawyer took cash from family of imprisoned man, court says
In the third case, Hunter took $2,500 from the parents of a man who was in prison, telling them he would appeal their son’s case despite the period allowed for an appeal already expiring.
Hunter ignored text messages from the man’s parents at least 12 times between July 2022 and March 2024, and at other times, he responded claiming to be his own assistant.
The imprisoned man himself called Hunter more than 1,280 times over several years, but Hunter only accepted eight calls that lasted a total of 38 minutes, court records say. Hunter had not refunded the $2,500 to the man’s parents as of his September 2024 disciplinary hearing.
Court records also say Hunter lied to members of the disciplinary panel during his hearing, which was another issue of misconduct.
“His frequently delayed or entirely nonexistent communication with clients and his outright lies both to them and to a court harm the trust that is at the core of any client relationship and the public perception of the legal profession,” the court’s decision says.
Judges Patrick DeWine, Dan Hawkins, Joseph Deters and Megan Shanahan signed the majority opinion.
Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy wrote a concurring opinion saying she agreed with the factual findings but would have permanently disbarred Hunter as an attorney for his misconduct.
Justice Patrick Fischer also wrote a concurring opinion, saying he would have imposed an indefinite suspension in the case. Justice Jennifer Brunner did not participate in the case.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@gannett.com or on Bluesky at @bethanybruner.dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Supreme Court suspends Pickerington attorney who stole clients’ money, lied to judge
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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