A Columbus attorney has been suspended by the state bar association after three women accused him of killing their cases through gross negligence.
Edward L. Pleasants, who left the Colom Law Firm about two years ago, was suspended 18 months by a complaint tribunal in December 2010. The ruling was just sent to the Lowndes County Circuit Court this month.
According to the ruling, Pleasants violated six rules of the Mississippi Rules of Professional Conduct, offenses that included lying to the women about the status of their cases and failing to file required paperwork, which resulted in the cases becoming too old to take to court.
“The public should be protected from lawyers who fail in their obligations of loyalty to their clients and diligence to their clients,” the document states.
The ruling also said he did not answer the tribunal”s inquiries from as far back as February 2010. He was ordered to pay the association $108.60 in tribunal expenses within a month.
Pleasants could not be reached for comment today.
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