Lorraine Earle

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

The Complainants retained Attorney Lorraine Earle to act in their purchase of premises at 1 Foxlaw Avenue and paid her J$1,726,575.00 (including a J$1,200,000 deposit, fees, valuation fee, and a J$331,000 personal loan to the Attorney). After a March 2003 meeting the Attorney disappeared and could not be located; she did not apply the monies toward the purchase, which fell through. The Committee found professional misconduct, breaching Canons I(b), IV(o), IV(r) and VII(b)(ii), and concluded it was reasonable to infer misappropriation. It noted that, but for the Attorney already being struck off, it would have ordered strike-off. Because she was already struck off, it imposed a fine of J$300,000 (J$200,000 payable to Complainants) plus J$20,000 costs. No express finding of dishonesty was made.

Duties found breached:

• Uphold public trust in the profession
• No conflict between current clients
• No improper use of client money

Aggravating factors:

• Attorney borrowed money from clients while still representing them and in the middle of the transaction
• Attorney could not be located for years and failed to communicate with clients
• Clients lost the sale as monies were not paid to vendors
• Attorney kept clients' monies for almost three years without communication
• Committee inferred misappropriation of the monies paid

Mitigating factors:

• Attorney made full restitution of $2,000,000.00 (in 2004 and August 2005)