Attorney Disbarred for Having Sex With Minor

March 23rd,2024-FOSTORIA, Ohio-The Supreme Court of Ohio today permanently disbarred a northwest Ohio attorney who the Court found repeatedly had sex with a child.

The Court disbarred Amber R. Goodman of Elida, in Allen County. Goodman has been under an interim suspension since her 2022 felony conviction for unlawful sexual contact with a minor. Goodman served eight months of a 30-month prison sentence and is under five years of community control.

Goodman’s crime centers around her relationship with her boyfriend and his 13-year-old daughter. Goodman and the man were both convicted of crimes for coercing the teen into joining them in sexual activity. Goodman’s conviction was based on her own sexual acts with the teen, who Goodman told not to tell anyone about the episodes.

The Board of Professional Conduct recommended that the Court indefinitely suspend Goodman with no credit for the time served under the interim suspension. In general, an indefinitely suspended attorney can apply for reinstatement after serving two years. However, the Court determined that a more severe sanction was necessary.

Writing for the Court, Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy stated that while the board’s recommendation was based on the conviction for the lesser crime of unlawful sexual contact with a minor, the underlying behavior was “tantamount to rape.”

“For this reason, our precedent disbarring attorneys for rape and other forcible sex offenses provides the appropriate sanction in this case,” she wrote.

Justices Patrick F. Fischer, R. Patrick DeWine, and Joseph T. Deters joined the chief justice’s opinion. Justice Melody Stewart concurred in judgment only. Justice Jennifer Brunner did not participate in the case.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Michael P. Donnelly wrote that “had the criminal justice system properly held Goodman to account for the criminal acts she committed,” the board could have recommended a more appropriate sanction. He stated that Goodman was allowed to plead to a charge that was factually distinct from the crime she committed. He reiterated his call for a statewide court rule change requiring that plea bargains maintain a factual basis with the conduct the accused actually committed.

https://www.courtnewsohio.gov/cases/2024/SCO/0312/230740.asp

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