Knocked Off

A subcommittee of the Virginia State Bar imposed a public reprimand without terms as an agreed disposition.

The matter involved a search of the attorney’s law office. The search had revealed several items with the Coach, Inc. brand name that had been ordered off the internet by the attorney ‘s wife.

The items were “knock-offs” that were not made by Coach, Inc.

The wife pleaded guilty to misdemeanor Trademark Infringement.

The attorney was not linked to the “knock-off” items.

The problem lay elsewhere.

After Coach sued he and his wife, he backdated three deeds transferring property and falsely denied doing so in a deposition.

Later in the deposition, he fessed up and corrected the testimony.

The disposition indicates that the dishonest conduct did not affect the resolution of the underlying matter. (Mike Frisch)