Stark County attorney accused of stealing clients' money suspended by state

The Ohio Supreme Court has immediately and indefinitely suspended the law license of Jackson Township-based attorney Edward Langenbach "Lang" D'Atri.

The court took the action Tuesday after the Stark County Bar Association last week filed a motion seeking an immediate suspension alleging that D'Atri, who focuses on probates, trusts and estates, "poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the public."

The motion accuses D'Atri of misspending hundreds of thousands of dollars in his clients trusts. And it says D'Atri would take money from one client trust and use it to replenish funds in another trust owned by another client. It also alleges that D'Atri developed a romantic relationship with a 72-year-old "bedridden" client, who's the executor of a $1.2 million estate.

More:Jackson Township attorney accused of stealing more than $250,000 from trust funds

More:Stark County Bar Association files new allegations against Jackson Twp. attorney

As of Wednesday, no criminal charges had been filed against D'Atri.

A message seeking comment was left on D'Atri's work phone and cellphone.

The motion filed by the Stark County Bar Association said D'Atri's attorney, Craig Pelini, did not object to the suspension. Pelini declined to comment.

The motion said D'Atri, who became a licensed attorney in 1963 and at one point was the chairman of the Stark Community Foundation, has filed an application for retirement or resignation with the court.

Richard Milligan, an attorney representing the Stark County Bar Association, declined to comment. He said the motion spoke for itself.

Attorney Edward Lang D'Atri suspended in Ohio

A court order signed by Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor noted that D'Atri did not file a response to the Stark County Bar Association's motion. The court ordered D'Atri to immediately stop practicing law and directed D'Atri within 30 days to advise all his clients and other attorneys and courts or administrative bodies in pending cases that he was no longer permitted to practice law. He has to refund any fees paid for legal services not yet performed and return any client's legal documents. He can not practice law unless he goes through a formal reinstatement process with the court.

In the meantime, the disciplinary process initiated by the Stark County Bar Association against D'Atri remains pending.

In the association's motion to the court, it said it believes D'Atri had stolen more than $250,000 from a family trust and he had admitted the theft of $70,000 to $120,000 to a family member affiliated with the trust. A memorandum of support accused D'Atri of writing a check out for $75,000 on that trust for himself and another $75,000 made out to the trust. And then he allegedly deposited both checks in another trust from which he had stolen money. The association said the family member obtained a preliminary injunction in July in Stark County Common Pleas Court to block D'Atri from transferring any more assets of the trust.

The memo said based on subpoenaed bank records, D'Atri also misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars from another trust resulting in bounced checks on checking accounts of the trust. D'Atri allegedly then used at least $158,000 from other trusts of other clients he oversaw to replenish those overdrawn accounts. The memo said Stark County Probate Judge Dixie Park last month ended D'Atri's power to act on behalf of one of the trusts.

Allegation of inappropriate relationship

The memo said a daughter of one of D'Atri's clients called the Bar Association in early September. The woman said her 72-year-old mother, who is in failing physical and mental health and confined to bed, is the executor of her estate with more than $1.2 million in assets. D'Atri is her mother's attorney. The woman said she saw D'Atri kissing her mother on the lips on two occasions. The association obtained intimate text messages between the two. D'Atri instructed her mother in the last text to delete the texts.

The Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct prohibit attorneys from having sexual relationships with clients unless such a relationship existed at the start of the attorney-client relationship.

The association says D'Atri has not cooperated with its investigation. He has not handed over requested documents or responded to a subpoena to appear for a deposition.

Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @rwangREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ohio Supreme Court suspends Jackson Township attorney Edward D'Atri