Gregory M.D. Lopez

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

Attorney Gregory M.D. Lopez represented the complainant in the 2006 sale of property; the sale completed in January 2014 leaving $1,504,000 owed to the client. The Attorney failed to account and misappropriated the funds, leaving $654,000 outstanding when the complaint was lodged. The Committee found, beyond reasonable doubt, that the Attorney acted dishonestly and misappropriated the client's money, breaching Canons I(b), VII(b) and being guilty of professional misconduct under Canon VIII(d). He repaid the balance ($200,000 on 24 Sept 2016, $200,000 on 8 Dec 2016, $254,000 on 12 Jan 2017) only after the hearing commenced. The provided text records the guilty finding but does not state the sanction imposed.

Duties found breached:

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

Aggravating factors:

• Misappropriated client's funds (net proceeds of sale)
• Client deprived of his money since January 2014
• Made no attempt to repay until the hearing commenced; payments only made on/before hearing dates
• Betrayal of client's trust and confidence
• Conduct stained the reputation of the profession

Mitigating factors:

• Eventually repaid the full outstanding balance of $654,000 during the course of the hearings