The Supreme Court of Ohio has indefinitely suspended Aaron Hartley, a Kettering attorney, following his convictions for violent acts against his family and other crimes involving vulgar threats towards his ex-wife and another attorney. This decision comes after Hartley's interim suspension, which began in November 2021 due to charges including assault, disorderly conduct, and telecommunications harassment.
The court's opinion was joined by Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy and Justices Patrick F. Fischer, R. Patrick DeWine, Michael P. Donnelly, Melody Stewart, and Joseph T. Deters. Justice Jennifer Brunner did not participate in the case.
Hartley's criminal activities spanned from January 2020 to October 2021. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed a complaint against him in February 2023 for six violations of professional conduct rules based on these misdemeanor convictions.
In January 2020, Hartley was charged with misdemeanor assault at the home of a woman whose son he had legally represented. Intoxicated at the time, he was found guilty and sentenced to jail time with additional penalties.
Later that year in August, an altercation with his wife led to charges of domestic violence after he allegedly threw her down and stepped on her neck. He pleaded no contest to an amended charge of disorderly conduct.
In October 2020, Hartley was involved in another violent incident when he took his daughters to his law office and reportedly grabbed one by the neck until she couldn't breathe. Charged with domestic violence among other offenses, he again pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct.
Following these incidents, Hartley used Facebook to make vulgar references about his ex-wife and harassed attorney Michelle Maciorowski through public threats on social media.
A Board of Professional Conduct panel noted challenges during Hartley's disciplinary hearing due to his uncooperative demeanor as a witness. A psychiatrist described him as having several disorders but the board did not consider these as mitigating factors due to lack of evidence for sustained treatment.
When recommending sanctions, the board considered similar cases involving attorneys with untreated substance-abuse disorders leading to multiple criminal convictions. The Court concluded that an indefinite suspension is appropriate without credit for time served under interim suspension. To be reinstated, Hartley must meet several conditions including undergoing evaluations and proving compliance with treatments related to diagnosed conditions from his disciplinary hearing evaluation.
Hartley is also required to pay the costs associated with the disciplinary proceedings.