Ano Maggielin Miller Sewell

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

The Attorney was engaged to represent the Complainant in the purchase of a property. The Complainant paid the Attorney $57,661,865.00, of which $37,392,000 was neither paid over to the Vendor's Attorney nor refunded, leading to cancellation of the Agreement for Sale. The Attorney also ceased communication from July 2024 and filed no defence. The Panel proceeded in her absence and found, beyond reasonable doubt, breaches of Canon 4(r) (twice) and Canon VII(b)(ii), finding her guilty of professional misconduct. The alleged breach of Canon VI(d) (professional undertaking) was not made out. No express finding of dishonesty was made. Sanction was not yet imposed; the Panel afforded the Attorney an opportunity to address it on sanction.

Duties found breached:

• Handle inadvertently received material
• No improper use of client money