Lawyer indefinitely suspended

Staff report

COLUMBUS

A Youngstown attorney with four prior suspensions was indefinitely suspended Wednesday from practicing law by the Ohio Supreme Court.

In a 6-1 opinion, the Supreme Court indefinitely suspended Dennis A. DiMartino and ruled that he cannot petition for reinstatement for at least two years.

The sanction is the fifth against DiMartino; and the Mahoning County Bar Association charged him with violating rules governing the behavior of Ohio lawyers while the Supreme Court was still considering his fourth report of professional misconduct.

Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger dissented and voted to permanently disbar DiMartino.

DiMartino was first sanctioned with a six-month stayed suspension in 1994 for violating several rules, including failing to respond to client inquiries, and failing to forward a client’s portion of settlement proceeds.

In 2007, he was given a one-year stayed suspension for neglecting a client matter.

In 2010, the court found he was dishonest in falsely representing on an out-of-state marriage application that he had never been married, although his Ohio divorce was pending at the time.

Because that misconduct occurred while his 2007 stayed suspension was in effect, the court made its 2007 sanction an actual one-year suspension from practicing and added a six-month concurrent suspension.

In 2016, the court found he committed several acts of misconduct in two client matters and imposed an indefinite suspension with conditions that, if met, would allow him to apply for reinstatement.

While the fourth misconduct case was pending, the bar association charged him with neglecting a client matter and failing to cooperate in the ensuing disciplinary investigation.