Hello everyone and welcome to this Ethics Alert which will discuss the recent motion for revocation/disbarment filed by an Illinois lawyer in response to allegations that he lied about his mother’s death and his own health to try to justify discovery delays and support a continuance of a hearing in two separate cases. The case is In the Matter of: Keith Joseph Hays, Supreme Court No. M.R.27422 Commission No. 2014PR00065. The lawyer resigned from the Indiana Bar in April 2015. The lawyer filed a motion requesting that his name be stricken from the list of Illinois Attorneys and the link to the Illinois Bar Statement of Charges and is here: https://www.iardc.org/P14PR0065OC.html
According to the Statement of Charges, the lawyer lied about the reasons for his delayed responses to discovery and request to continue a hearing in two Indiana cases, and made settlement offers without authorization in a third case.
In one case, the lawyer justified his delays in responding to discovery requests by claiming that his mother had been “killed in a violent car accident in the state of Colorado.” The lawyer also said that she died in “the fire and smoke inhalation from the resulting conflagration,” and that he was “left scrambling between Indiana, Colorado and Idaho for weeks trying to get his mother buried, her estate resolved and her pets adopted.” The lawyer’s mother not been involved in a car accident or died.
In another case, the lawyer filed an emergency motion to continue a hearing and claimed that he had been diagnosed with “double pneumonia” and went to an emergency room; however, the lawyer did not actually have pneumonia and, incredibly, he billed his client for time that he spent working on the case when he was supposedly incapacitated.
The lawyer admitted to the following facts:
“In 2011, Respondent represented Staples the Office Superstore East (a subsidiary of Staples, Inc.; hereafter, “Staples”), the defendant in a personal injury action filed in Indiana state court by Max Jackson (“Jackson”). In the course of discovery, Jackson filed a motion for sanctions alleging that Respondent’s client, Staples, had failed to fully respond to a request for production of documents and interrogatories. Respondent filed a response in which he claimed, in part, that his mother had been “killed in a violent car accident in the state of Colorado,” that she perished from “the fire and smoke inhalation from the resulting conflagration,” and that Respondent “was left scrambling between Indiana, Colorado and Idaho for weeks trying to get his mother buried, her estate resolved and her pets adopted.” Respondent’s statements were false, and he knew they were false, since his mother had neither died nor been involved in a car accident, and Respondent had not been “left scrambling between Indiana, Colorado and Idaho” to resolve his mother’s affairs.”
“In 2011, Respondent represented Reed & Company, P.C. (“Reed”), the defendant in a civil lawsuit filed in Indiana state court by Wabash Center, Inc. (“Wabash”). After Wabash filed a motion for partial summary judgment, the court set the matter for hearing on that motion. On the date of the scheduled hearing, Respondent filed an emergency motion requesting that the hearing be continued, based on his representation that the day before, he had been diagnosed with “double pneumonia” and sent to the emergency room. Respondent’s statements were false, and Respondent knew they were false, as Respondent had not been sent to the emergency room with pneumonia, and in fact, he had billed his client Reed for time spent preparing a summary judgment motion on Reed’s behalf during the time period that he purportedly was incapacitated.”
Bottom line: According to the facts to which the lawyer admitted, he made some incredible false statements which could easily be refuted, and his lies were ultimately discovered. I’m not doctor, but there would appear to be some serious psychological issues underlying this conduct.
Disclaimer: this e-mail is not an advertisement, does not contain any legal advice, and does not create an attorney/client relationship and the comments herein should not be relied upon by anyone who reads it.
Joseph A. Corsmeier, Esquire
Law Office of Joseph A. Corsmeier, P.A.
2454 McMullen Booth Road, Suite 431
Clearwater, Florida 33759
Office (727) 799-1688
Fax (727) 799-1670
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