The Supreme Court of Ohio has decided to disbar Columbus attorney Gregory Port following a litany of ethical violations. Port's unscrupulous actions included falsifying bank records, charging exorbitant fees, and outright theft of client funds. Having been on an interim suspension since December 2023, the disbarment comes as a conclusive response to Port's failure to respond to disciplinary charges set in motion in March by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, as reported by Court News Ohio.
Previously, Port faced an indefinite suspension in 2004 for similar misconduct, only to be reinstated seven years later in 2011. However, his history seems to perpetually align to reveal a pattern of behavior that neatly disregards the ethical boundaries of the legal profession. His latest series of violations proved severe enough for the Ohio Supreme Court to assert, according to the Court News Ohio, "Port’s repeated theft from clients and his dishonesty with clients and tribunals show that he lacks the character and integrity required of a member of the bar."
This is not the first instance of Port's predatory practices against those he pledged to serve. In a case involving the estate of Stephen K. Renz, Port, serving as the administrator, arranged for the estate's property in Columbus to be sold to his wife's company, which later flipped it for an almost tenfold profit. The probate court was not initially informed of this conflicting transaction, culminating in Port's removal as the estate administrator. Additionally, he embezzled funds from the estate of Jean VanPelt to over $300,000 and went as far as to issue fraudulent bank records to cover his tracks.
Port's misconduct extended to his representation of individual clients such as Nichelle Ennis and Esther Imhoff, for whom he failed to complete assigned legal trusts and was found to charge inflated fees. According to the Court News Ohio, Port billed $325 an hour over thirteen hours for work that could never have been completed — a move the board slammed as clearly excessive. His misdeeds did not only result in his disbarment but also in orders to pay restitution to the affected parties, including $4,857 to the Sink estate and $9,400 to Imhoff, in addition to the costs of the disciplinary proceedings.
