Ohio Supreme Court disbars attorney convicted of stealing settlement money

The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday permanently disbarred a Hamilton-based attorney convicted late last year of stealing money from clients.

Dennis Lee Adams, 52, is no longer allowed to practice law in any form in the state and must pay more than $25,000 in restitution.

Adams’ law license was suspended in November 2022, after he failed to respond to a complaint filed with the Board of Professional Conduct alleging in part that Adams misappropriated his clients’ settlement funds.

The justices found that Adams committed 19 rule violations and didn’t cooperate with the disciplinary process except for participating in a single deposition, according to court documents.

“In light of the facts of this case and our applicable precedent, we agree that permanent disbarment is the only proper sanction for Adams’s misconduct in this case, which includes significant acts of neglect, misappropriation, and dishonesty,” the justices’ ruling reads.

In a June filing, the board recommended Adams be permanently disbarred for infractions involving the misuse of funds belonging to his clients in court cases in Butler and Preble counties.

Adams “misappropriated at least $26,000 belonging to three clients while neglecting to carry through to conclusion the legal work he (was) contracted to handle on their behalf, and by failing to carry out his commitments to pay liens against their settlement moneys, thus causing them further harm,” the board wrote.

The board also found Adams neglected to consult with his clients and reply to requests for information and was dishonest in dealings with opposing counsel.

Ohio Supreme Court records show Adams had no previous disciplinary history.

What did Adams' criminal charges involve?

Adams pleaded guilty in October to two counts of theft in Butler County Common Pleas Court and was sentenced to five years of probation, as well as 500 hours of community service.

The criminal charges against Adams stemmed from his work with two clients, one of whom was also named in the disciplinary proceedings.

In the first case, Adams held on to and spent over $12,000 in settlement funds belonging to Teresa and Jerry McAdams, whom he had represented in a personal injury case.

The couple entered into a contingency fee agreement with Adams in 2017, meaning that the lawyer wouldn't be paid unless they won their suit, which provided that Adams would receive 33% of any settlement money.

Adams represented the McAdamses in a suit over injuries Teresa McAdams sustained during an auto collision, court documents say. The couple settled a year later with the other driver in the crash for $22,000.

Instead of paying off Teresa McAdams’ Medicare lien and placing the rest of the settlement funds in a trust account to finance the couple’s litigation against Allstate Corp., Adams wrote checks to himself and his law firm amounting to more than he was owed for his contingency fee.

Prosecutors said some of those settlement proceeds were used for purchases at Delta Vacations and Delta Air, the Liberty Township Cinebistro, a business called "Guns Unlimited," and a golf cart dealer, among others.

The McAdamses never received their share of the settlement nor did Adams pay off the debt to Medicare. Adams also dismissed the couple’s suit against Allstate without their knowledge or approval.

In their decision Tuesday, the justices awarded nearly $13,000 to the McAdamses.

The second case against Adams involved a client he was representing in an aggravated theft case. The client, George Galliher, pleaded guilty in April 2018 to a lesser charge of theft and was ordered to pay restitution to the Cabela's store in West Chester Township, court records show.

The money Adams took from Galliher was supposed to be used toward restitution payments to the sporting goods retailer.

Adams’ attorney has yet to respond to a phone call from The Enquirer seeking comment. Attempts to reach Adams Tuesday afternoon were unsuccessful.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Supreme Court disbars attorney convicted of stealing from clients