The Florida Supreme Court in recent court orders disciplined 10 attorneys, disbarring four, suspending five and reprimanding one.
One practices in Northeast Florida.
Marsha Sharlene Johnson, 372 Crescent Blvd. in St. Augustine, is disbarred effective immediately following a July 9 court order.
Johnson filed a pleading claiming she had filed for bankruptcy in federal court. Relying on that claim, the trial court issued a stay of the proceedings and canceled a scheduled contempt hearing. After discovering that no bankruptcy case had been filed, opposing counsel moved to lift the stay and requested that Johnson be held in contempt.
At the hearing, Johnson admitted she had not filed for bankruptcy as she had claimed. In a separate matter, Johnson engaged in a conflict of interest when she borrowed $16,000 from a client who had retained her to draft and revise a will.
She did not inform the client in writing that it was advisable to consult independent counsel prior to entering into the loan agreement. Johnson made no payments toward the loan.
She also failed to make timely written responses to the Bar’s investigative inquiries.