Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Joplin attorney Elizabeth Turner suspended from practicing law for three years


The Missouri Supreme Court today issued an order suspending the law license of Joplin attorney Elizabeth Turner for three years.

The order was issued following an April 13 hearing in which Deputy Chief Disciplinary Counsel Sam S. Phillips of the chief disciplinary office in Jefferson City detailed allegations of "misappropriation of client funds, the taking of unearned client funds, failing to refund money promptly to a client following termination of the representation, failing to render a full accounting to a client, taking unreasonable fees, failing to hold clients’ property separately from her own, and failing to maintain sufficient records of deposits and withdrawals from her trust account."








A disciplinary panel, determining Turner had not intentionally meant to defraud or deceive her clients recommended that Turner's suspension be stayed and that she be placed on probation but that decision was rejected by the chief disciplinary counsel who asked the Supreme Court to either disbar or suspend Turner.

In the written briefs, the chief disciplinary counsel's office provided a summary of the allegations against Turner:

Elizabeth Turner, Respondent, converted $12,000 from Heather B.’s settlement funds. She refused to refund it for eight months after being confronted by her client and the OCDC, despite making no claim to it. 

She reports surprise at learning that $8,000 was missing from her client’s account, although she was repeatedly asked - for five months - to refund and explain a “missing $8,000.” 

She submitted false accountings to her clients and disciplinary authorities, after asking for more time to study her records. More than twice a week for at least eighteen months, Respondent transferred large chunks of her clients’ funds to herself, without tying the transfers to any purpose or client. 

Using that system, and failing to reconcile her accounts, she benefitted financially while her clients were financially injured. Logically, her own calculations indicate her profit from her admittedly poor recordkeeping exceeded $97,000, in that says she had no claim to those funds.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

THANKS TO - "THE TURNER REPORT" - - FOR BRINGING TO LIGHT THIS CASE - - MOST ILLEGAL ACTIONS OF ATTORNEYS AND JUDGES ARE COVERED UP AND THE PUBLIC ARE VERY UNAWARE - -

WHAT - ATTORNEYS - CHEATING, LYING, OVER-BILLING, AND STEALING FROM THEIR CLIENTS - - THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SOME TIME IN THE JOPLIN AREA - - THESE ATTORNEYS - SHOULD BE IN JAIL - NOT JUST SUSPENDED FROM PRACTICING LAW - - ONCE THEY GET YOUR MONEY OR DEPOSIT ON YOUR CASE - THEY FAIL TO RESPOND IN A TIMELY MANNER AND EVEN BILL YOU WHEN YOU CALL TO GET AN ACCOUNTING OF WHERE YOUR CASE IS AND THEN BILL YOU FOR THAT CALL.

SO WHY WASN'T SHE BEEN PROSECUTED LIKE ANY OTHER CRIMINAL OR WHY DIDN'T SHE LOSE HER LICENSE PERMANENTLY TO PRACTICE LAW - ONCE HER 3-YEARS OF SUSPENSION IS UP - SHE WILL BE BACK WITH HER LICENSE TAKING YOUR MONEY - AGAIN...

IF YOU OR I STOLE OR MISAPPROPRIATED MONEY - - WOULD WE PROSECUTED – OF COURSE WE WOULD!!!

YOU SEE ATTORNEYS CAN GET SANCTIONED OR SUSPENDED OR EVEN DISBARRED - BUT THEY ARE THEN INVESTIGATED BY ANOTHER GROUP OF ATTORNEYS - - The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel in Jefferson City and the Missouri Bar Association - THAT SOUNDS FAIR DOESN'T IT!!!

https://www.mochiefcounsel.org/

SEVERAL ATTORNEYS HAVE BEEN - CAUGHT IN SIMILAR SCAMS IN JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTY AND ARE PRACTICING LAW TODAY - - THIS CASE THANKS TO - "THE TURNER REPORT" - HAS AT LEAST BEEN PLAYED OUT IN THE PRESS - - MOST ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES OF ATTORNEYS GETS HIDDEN IN THE LEGAL BUREAUCRACY - - AND MOST PEOPLE ARE UNAWARE - OF THEIR ATTORNEYS ETHICAL VIOLATIONS AND LEGAL TROUBLES - -

I URGE YOU – IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLES WITH YOUR ATTORNEY OR EVEN YOUR JUDGE - YOU NEED TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE FOLLOWING:

Chief Disciplinary Counsel - 3327 American Avenue, Jefferson City, MO 65109-1016 - Phone: 573-635-7400 - FAX: 573-635-2240

https://www.mochiefcounsel.org/

IF You would like to see A List of the Missouri Attorneys that have been Sanctioned, Suspended, On Probation, Reinstated, Etc - - You will Not Find them On CaseNet – Because they Try To “HIDE” – What these Attorneys have Done – (They Give them and Make them Above the LAW!!!

It is Very Difficult to even Find this List - - Since the Missouri Bar and Even the Chief Disciplinary Office Does Such a Great Job of “Cover Their A#z” - Again, Why Most People will Never Know – Here is a Link with the Attorneys that are Sanctioned at the Bottom of the Page. Listed Below is the Link:

https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=109856

Anonymous said...

And this was jalen vaden attorney wonder if she did any scamming with any other lawyers in his case to get him to take that plea����

Randy said...

Elizabeth Turner was not Jalen Vaden's attorney. That was Tracey Martin.

Anonymous said...

Last name Turner...no surprise she was of low moral character.

Mother Hen said...

Maybe you should know your facts about a case before you speak on it!

Willy said...

Which case? The one with the attorney or with Jalen?