Criminal Conviction For Unauthorized Practice

An attorney admitted to practice in Kansas and Illinois was indefinitely suspended by the Kansas Supreme Court as a result of a criminal conviction for five counts of unauthorized practice in Minnesota, where the attorney was not admitted. The court also found and “pattern of unprofessional and abusive contact” with the sued party (a construction company) and false communications in litigation. The attorney threatened lawsuits for $2.5 and $5 billion in damages. Illinois had imposed a 30 day suspension for the same misconduct and the Kansas sanction was based on an independent proceeding rather than as reciprocal discipline. The attorney also holds a pharmacy license.

An example of the letters that the court deemed to be unprofessional:

The letter is formatted just as the Respondent’s letters were formatted. This lettercontains the following odd language:

            ‘I am disappointed that we will have to go to court to avoid going tojail because of bills and hardship your company has caused. I thought you werea more decent human being than this. The angels said in meditation that theywere encouraging you to settle with us to help us after what your company hasdone to us. And now we will have to go to court. We will get awarded muchmore money than what is fair and just to your company, which is often done inthese cases when you treat people inhumanely.

            ‘You will be receiving the letter from Dr. Jason Reed on Monday,because he was out of town until then. By then it will be too late because wewill already be in court.

            ‘We can play dirty too, like you are trying to do. But we won’t. Ourmorals wouldn’t allow it.

            ‘I would like to appeal to you as a human being who happened to buy afaulty product from you and was continuously put off by underlings to the pointof financially ruining us and making us incredibly ill. But you are not humaneare you? Or you would settle with us like the angels said. To [sic] bad you aregoing to ruin your nice company and be the cause of its downfall. The angelstold us this would happen if you did not listen to them in meditation and be asource of light for all people.’

The attorney had joined in the request for an indefinite suspension in the hope of saving her pharmacy license and had expressed “genuine remorse” for the misconduct. (Mike Frisch)