Decision record
Arlean D. Moreta Beckford
Allegation / charges
Struck off, Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered January 26, 2021. || Guilty of Professional Misconduct | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered January 13, 2021. View PDF DECISION ON SANCTION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL …
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
The Respondent attorney was engaged in 2004 to handle a land purchase and an accident claim. She failed to account for J$250,000 (purchase balance) and J$1,250,000 (damages award collected from the insurer), which the Panel found she misappropriated, acting with inexcusable and deplorable negligence and betraying her client's trust. The Panel expressly found her conduct dishonorable and disreputable and struck her name from the Roll, fined her J$1.5m payable to the Complainant, and ordered J$400,000 costs.
Duties found breached:
- Disclose adverse law to the court
- No improper communication with the court
- No taking unfair advantage
- Uphold public trust in the profession
- Fair, reasonable and lawful fees
- No improper use of client money
- Prompt accounting and return of money
Aggravating factors:
- Complete misappropriation of J$1,250,000 insurance proceeds and J$250,000 purchase balance
- Betrayal of client trust and confidence
- No title delivered nor money returned over eleven years
- Cavalier attitude to Complainant, Committee and process
- No remorse shown
- Made her whereabouts unknown to the Complainant
⚠ figures not found verbatim in the source were dropped: ["unverified_fine_amount=1500000"]
Duties engaged
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