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Saturday, June 07, 2008
Ind. Decisions - more on suspended Bloomington attorney
A story today in the Indianapolis Star by Will Higgins, headed "Frugal yardman’s gift to IU garden: $650K," contains a section that rang a bell with the ILB:
The worst was yet to come. After his fall, unable to return to his trailer, [George Everett Archer] went to a nursing home. He’d given power of attorney to Bloomington lawyer David Colman.Sound familar? The ILB has had four previous entries mentioning Mr. Colman, including this one from from May 14th, headed "Supreme Court justices differ on sanctions in attorney disciplinary case."A lifelong loner, Archer hated the nursing home’s close quarters and the human interaction.
Archer called his trusted, longtime customer, [Ed] Cohen, and sought help to get out of the nursing home.
Meanwhile Colman, 62, had become Archer’s heir in a will that an attorney friend of Colman’s prepared. A new will was Archer’s idea, Colman insists: “I didn’t ask to be George Archer’s heir,” he said.
Cohen, a retired educational television executive, was suspicious of Colman’s intentions and reported him to the Indiana State Supreme Court.
According to court documents, although Colman hired a lawyer to put Archer’s will to paper, Colman violated the Professional Conduct Rule by actively helping to prepare the will. The rule prohibits a lawyer from preparing a document for a nonrelative that gives that lawyer a substantial gift.
Last month, the court suspended Colman for three years in connection with his dealings with Archer and two unrelated matters.
Cohen said Archer didn’t want Colman to get his money after his death. He also didn’t want his family to have the money.
What, then, was to become of the fortune?
Posted by Marcia Oddi on June 7, 2008 08:53 AM
Posted to Ind. Sup.Ct. Decisions