On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, the Administrator of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission filed a formal complaint against Matthew Charles Holmer. The complaint, lodged with the Hearing Board of the commission, accuses Holmer of multiple instances of misconduct, including dishonesty, lack of communication with clients, and making false statements to a court and third parties. The allegations stem from his actions while employed as an associate attorney at Brooks Law Firm in Rock Island, where he represented a client insured by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Agency.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Matthew Charles Holmer,” with case no. 2025PR00017.
The complaint details Holmer’s involvement in a personal injury lawsuit filed in Rock Island Circuit Court. State Farm had retained Holmer’s firm to defend their insured, identified only as D.Y., before December 31, 2020. Holmer officially entered his appearance in the case on that date. Early in the legal proceedings, on January 5, 2021, the opposing counsel sent discovery requests to Holmer, including a demand for D.Y.’s State Farm insurance policy declaration page, which outlined coverage details and limits.
According to the complaint, Holmer engaged in a pattern of deceptive behavior beginning in May 2023. On May 18, 2023, he emailed the plaintiffs’ counsel, stating that State Farm had agreed to settle each plaintiff’s claim for $50,000. The commission alleges this statement was false and that Holmer knew it was untrue, as State Farm had not authorized any such settlement. Over the following months, Holmer allegedly continued to mislead plaintiffs’ counsel with promises of forthcoming settlement documents and the declaration page, none of which he had requested from State Farm.
By October 2023, after receiving signed releases from the plaintiffs based on his representations, Holmer told opposing counsel he had forwarded the releases to State Farm and would ensure settlement checks were on their way. The complaint asserts these claims were also false. When plaintiffs’ counsel sought court intervention in November 2023 with a motion to compel, the court ordered D.Y. to produce the declaration page and deliver payments within two weeks. Holmer failed to comply and did not inform D.Y., State Farm, or his firm of the court’s directive.
The situation escalated in December 2023 when the plaintiffs’ counsel filed a motion for sanctions. Holmer appeared in court on January 9, 2024, repeating to the judge that a $50,000-per-plaintiff settlement had been agreed upon—a statement the complaint labels as knowingly false. The court imposed a $250 attorney’s fee penalty, which Holmer personally paid, and set a deadline of January 18, 2024, for compliance. He again missed the deadline and, during a case management conference that day, suggested settlement checks might already be waiting for him, despite having never requested them.
Further court orders followed. On March 6, 2024, an agreed order required D.Y. to pay $50,000 plus interest to each plaintiff, produce the declaration page and cover additional attorney’s fees and a Medicare-related cost. Holmer signed this order but did not inform his client, State Farm, or his firm. By April 19, 2024, the court entered a judgment against D.Y. for $50,000 per plaintiff with 9% interest from October 2023, yet Holmer continued to withhold this information. On June 14, 2024, he told State Farm the case remained unresolved, a claim contradicted by the earlier judgment.
The deception unraveled in mid-June 2024 when B.F., a shareholder at Brooks Law Firm, discovered the judgment and pending citation to discover D.Y.’s assets. State Farm was informed on June 17, 2024, and later confirmed Holmer’s misrepresentations. By July 1, 2024, State Farm agreed to pay the $50,000 per plaintiff, while Holmer’s firm covered the accrued interest. The case was dismissed on July 11, 2024.
The complaint charges Holmer with violating several Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct, including failing to keep clients informed, disobeying court orders, and engaging in dishonest conduct.
The complaint states:
“WHEREFORE, the Administrator requests that this matter be assigned to a panel of the Hearing Board, that a hearing be held, and the panel make findings of fact, conclusions of fact and law, and a recommendation for such discipline as is warranted.”
According to the filing, Mr. Holmes acquired his law license in Illinois in 2010.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
