On Monday, September 11, 2023, the Florida Bar filed a reply to attorney T. Lorraine Johns’ response to the petition for contempt and order to show cause.
The case is entitled “The Florida Bar v. T. Lorraine Johns,” with case no. SC23-1212.
The Florida Bar filed a petition for contempt and order to show cause against Johns. The Bar alleged that Johns had failed to respond to an official bar inquiry and had requested that the Supreme Court of Florida suspend her license to practice law until she fully responded in writing to the inquiry. The Bar also requested administrative costs of $1,250.00 against Johns. The petition was filed on August 28, 2023, and a hearing was scheduled for October 10, 2023. This matter was assigned to Judge John A. Tomasino.
On September 8, 2023, Johns filed a response to the Florida Bar’s petition for contempt and order to show cause. The Bar had alleged that Johns failed to respond to an official bar inquiry and requested that her license to practice law be suspended. In her response, Johns acknowledged that she had not responded to the inquiry but explained that she had been dealing with personal and family issues, including her adult child being a victim of human trafficking.
The response states:
“That the Respondent has experienced significant personal and family issues since the filing of the original complaint in April 2023, in that her adult child was the victim of human trafficking and other serious violent crimes.”
Since Johns already responded to The Florida Bar’s official bar inquiry, The Florida Bar decided to no longer seek suspension of her license to practice law. However, The Florida Bar requests that the court reprimand Johns for her failure to respond to the official bar inquiries, as admitted in her response. Additionally, Johns agreed to pay the $1,250.00 administrative cost sought by The Florida Bar.
The request states:
“WHEREFORE, The Florida Bar requests this Court reprimand respondent and award the bar $1,250.00 administrative costs.”
According to avvo.com, Ms. Johns is an estate planning attorney in New Port Richey, Florida. She attended the Stetson University College of Law, graduating in 2020. She acquired her law license in Florida in 2001.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
