On Wednesday, April 3, 2024, the Supreme Court of California issued an order disbarring attorney John H. Donboli, stripping him of his license to practice law in the state.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of John H. Donboli,” with case no. S283567.
In a consolidated case involving three separate matters – Case Nos. SBC-22-O-30351, SBC-22-O-30438, and SBC-21-O-30600 – Donboli faced allegations of misconduct from the State Bar of California, which regulates attorneys. He did not respond to initial disciplinary charges that were served to him in April and May 2022 by the State Bar Court.
As a result of his failure to file a timely response, the State Bar Court entered Donboli’s default on June 22, 2023. Under the Rules of Procedure of the State Bar, this meant the factual allegations in the notices of disciplinary charges were deemed admitted against him.
Some of the key allegations included violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct, the Business and Professions Code, and acts of moral turpitude. Specifically, Donboli was accused of misconduct related to clients Patch, Ehdaie, and Vogelsinger, though no details about the underlying issues were publicly disclosed.
After Donboli did not take any action to set aside or vacate the default entry over the following months, the State Bar filed a petition for disbarment in October 2023. This allows for a mandatory disbarment recommendation if certain factors are met, including proper service, notice to the attorney, a valid default entry, and culpability warranting discipline based on the admitted facts.
In the petition, it had been outlined that all requirements for disbarment after default under Rule 5.85 of the State Bar Rules of Procedure had been satisfied. This included Donboli having a prior disciplinary sanction from July 2022 of a one-year suspension stayed with a two-year probation period and 60 days of actual suspension.
The Supreme Court accepted the petition for disbarment and ordered Donboli’s name be stricken from the roll of attorneys. Additionally, the Court ordered Donboli to make full restitution to his former clients Patch, Ehdaie, and Vogelsinger in specified amounts plus 10% annual interest from given dates. He was also mandated to comply with notification procedures to protect any remaining client matters and pay $5,000 in sanctions to the State Bar Client Security Fund.
According to avvo.com, Mr. Donboli was a class action attorney in Del Mar, California. He attended the George Washington University National Law Center. He acquired his law license in California in 1999.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
