NH upholds anti-mask attorney’s suspension more than $100k mishandled funds
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- Robert Fojo however have a valid legislation license in Massachusetts
Concord, N.H. – The New Hampshire Supreme Courtroom upheld the regulation license suspension of a New Hampshire lawyer who filed a flurry of anti-mask lawsuits towards university districts in Massachusetts, Florida and New Hampshire.
Individuals lawsuits are pending, but appeals to try to briefly pause mask mandates have been denied by an Appeals Courtroom decide last 7 days.
The New Hampshire Supreme Court docket suspended the regulation license of Robert Fojo past month, briefly barring him from practicing law in the point out as of Dec. 21. The suspension was over allegations he mishandled practically $100,000 in consumer money, according to court documents. Fojo’s alleged wrongdoing was not connected to the mask situations.
Fojo’s suspension prompted an attraction prior to a specially appointed referee, which upheld the choice.
Jan. 4, 2022:NH Supreme Court suspends lawyer suing Hingham, Carver about college mask mandates
The New Hampshire Supreme Courtroom Legal professional Self-discipline Office alleged Fojo’s place of work engaged in incorrect bookkeeping, failure to fork out customers he represented in civil lawsuits, and lying to investigators from the discipline office.
According to courtroom paperwork, he misappropriated $14,666 from two personalized injuries circumstances involving one shopper and $33,350 from one more. He is also accused of mishandling $50,020 of shopper cash held in have faith in beneath his handle.
Fojo’s law license is still in very good standing in Massachusetts, but he is necessary to ship a copy of his punishment to the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers. Staff members in Massachusetts also observe a countrywide clearinghouse for legal professional discipline to select up conditions from other jurisdictions involving lawyers licensed in the point out.
Mask mandate enchantment dismissed
Fojo filed five lawsuits from school districts in Massachusetts challenging mask mandates, together with Hingham, Carver, West Bridgewater and the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional Faculty District.
All five lawsuits, and a sixth versus the state Section of Elementary and Secondary Instruction, had been consolidated into a person scenario in Springfield, where Judge David Hodge denied a ask for to end the mandates.
On Tuesday, Appeals Courtroom Justice Joseph Ditkoff denied an attraction seeking to end the school districts from enforcing mask mandates. The teams can however consider their circumstances to demo in entrance of a Top-quality Court choose.
In his final decision, Ditkoff mentioned that just contacting mask donning a “health and fitness care decision” does not signify it really is correct, and that moms and dads who send their small children to university can not exempt their little ones from the dress code just simply because they want to.
“That the office expects masks to cut down the threat of disease does not make them medical gadgets any much more than snow trousers turn out to be professional medical gadgets because faculties mandating their use anticipate them to reduce frostbite,” Ditkoff explained.
Fojo’s other mask-linked circumstances, in New Hampshire and Florida, have also been defeated in courts.
Decide not persuaded by Fojo’s circumstance
Lawyers for the Legal professional Self-control Office in New Hampshire have beforehand observed it appeared Fojo was fundamentally “robbing Peter to fork out Paul.”
In a 14-website page buy, retired Judge Larry Smukler wrote that the discipline office environment has demonstrated “by a preponderance of the evidence” that Fojo’s interim suspension from the follow of regulation is vital for the protection of the public and to uphold the integrity of the career.
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“Fojo unsuccessful to retain his consumers moderately educated about the standing of their instances and unsuccessful to act with reasonable diligence by not instantly disbursing resources owing to them or their collectors,” Smukler wrote. “Fojo misappropriated client funds and then lied about it to his customers and to the (Lawyer Discipline Workplace).”
Fojo claimed his actions were not intentional, that the willpower office “erroneously concluded” he misappropriated revenue, and that his suspension was disproportionate and untimely.
Jan. 28, 2022:Hingham to use for mask waiver for center and high colleges, faculty committee decides
See a lot more of our protection of school masking
Jan. 28, 2022:Hingham to use for mask waiver for middle and substantial colleges, faculty committee decides
Jan. 26, 2022:Hingham to apply for mask waiver for center and high educational facilities, college committee decides
Jan. 4, 2022:NH Supreme Courtroom suspends attorney suing Hingham, Carver around university mask mandates
Nov. 22, 2021:Judge upholds faculty mask mandates in lawsuits targeting Hingham, Carver
Oct. 7, 2021:Hingham and Carver among the 14 districts sued over legality of university mask mandates
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Achieve Reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at [email protected] and Foster’s Everyday Democrat Reporter Megan Fernandes at [email protected].
