The Ohio Supreme Court yesterday suspended the law license of a Columbus, Ohio collection lawyer, who stole $32,600 from a check-cashing business he represented.
James D. Thomas admitted he misappropriated at least $32,600 in funds that he held in trust for a client, Checkcare Systems. He wrote 38 unauthorized checks to himself from the trust account between October 2004 and June 2006, after another client was late in paying him, according to Supreme Court filings, reported by the Columbus Dispatch.
Thomas did not try to reimburse Checkcare until the company sued him, and he later defaulted on the repayments.
Supreme Court justices unanimously suspended Thomas' law license indefinitely, finding that his conduct reflected poorly on the legal profession. Thomas could not be reached for comment.
