sumber : ohbulan
Personal Injury Lawyer Harrisburg Pa
HARRISBURG (AP) � The state Supreme Court has disbarred a well-known personal injury lawyer facing lawsuits alleging that he acted lewdly toward clients.
The order against York attorney Mark David Frankel, whose image appeared prominently on television and billboard advertisements in central Pennsylvania, was entered on Monday and did not describe the grounds for the decision. A court official said Wednesday that the Supreme Court Disciplinary Board's report would not be available to the public until names in it were blacked out.
Frankel, 56, said Wednesday he was "very upset" about the disbarment, which he said did not take effect for 30 days. Frankel said his lawyers were working on an appeal "based upon a due-process argument."
He said a court order prevented him from commenting in any detail, and his lawyers did not return phone messages seeking comment.
Frankel has advertised for many years on the back cover of the York phone book, and his phrase "turn the book over" became so well known he shortened it to "T.T.B.O." on billboards.
Four civil suits alleging lewd conduct are pending against him, three filed by clients and the fourth by a woman who claimed he groped her in a York bar.
In Dauphin County, the parents of two teenage boys claimed in suits filed in 2001 that he inappropriately touched the boys after they sought his legal advice related to car-accident injuries.
A client in a whiplash case, Van Stahl, sued him in York County in 2000 after Frankel allegedly touched his genitals under the guise of checking for injuries from the removal of a kidney stone.
He was sued by Lois Lockwood of York in 1999 for allegedly grabbing her crotch in a bar.
Frankel on Wednesday denied all of the allegations.
Harrisburg attorney Robert F. Claraval, who represents the Dauphin County plaintiffs, said they were "extremely happy. They've been vindicated by this. ... We're anxious to get our cases to trial now."
Larry Heim, the lawyer for Lockwood and Stahl, said he has asked the presiding judge to schedule those cases for trial.
"Any time someone loses the ability to practice their profession, I think it's sad," Heim said. "Because with a law degree, there's a lot invested in time and money. On the other hand, we're all responsible for our own actions."
