On Thursday, February 27, 2025, the Administrator of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission filed a complaint against attorney Brian Michael Gabor. The complaint accuses Gabor of professional misconduct stemming from his handling of a breach of contract case in Grundy County. The allegations center on Gabor’s lack of diligence and failure to keep his client informed.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Brian Michael Gabor,” with case no. 2025PR00018.
The case began in 2021 when Gabor represented Charles Fieldman and Fieldman Construction, Inc., who were hired by Andrew and Carrie Johnson to perform construction work on their home in 2020 and 2021. After the Johnsons terminated Fieldman’s services and withheld payment, Gabor filed a complaint against them on September 8, 2021, in Grundy County Circuit Court, case number 2021 LM 112. The Johnsons retained attorney John Peacock, who entered his appearance on October 19, 2021.
Trouble emerged in late 2022 when Peacock sought discovery responses and deposition scheduling from Fieldman. Although Gabor forwarded these requests to his client, he did not follow up when Fieldman failed to respond by the deadlines. Between November 2022 and March 2023, Peacock repeatedly contacted Gabor to resolve the delays, but Gabor did not reply. This prompted Peacock to file a motion to compel in March 2023, which was granted on April 21, 2023, with a discovery deadline set for May 22, 2023. Gabor attended the hearing remotely but did not inform Fieldman of the court’s order.
The situation escalated when Fieldman missed the extended deadline, leading Peacock to file a petition for a rule to show cause on June 5, 2023. On June 20, 2023, Gabor appeared via Zoom and agreed to a contempt finding against Fieldman, with a seven-day window to purge it by complying with discovery. Gabor again failed to notify Fieldman. By July 11, 2023, with no compliance, the court ordered Fieldman to pay Peacock’s attorney fees of $937.60 and mandated both Gabor and Fieldman to appear in person on August 3, 2023. Neither attended, triggering further court orders.
The case unraveled further on October 11, 2023, when the court granted a default judgment on the Johnsons’ counterclaim, dismissed Fieldman’s complaint, and barred both Gabor and Fieldman from presenting evidence or seeking relief. On December 1, 2023, damages of $183,200 plus $6,633.38 in fees were awarded to the Johnsons, followed by $38,545 in prejudgment interest on January 5, 2024. Gabor consistently failed to notify Fieldman of these developments.
Fieldman, represented by new counsel Phyllis Roman, settled with the Johnsons for $200,000 on June 3, 2024, and announced plans for a malpractice claim against Gabor. Meanwhile, Gabor was held in contempt on April 18, 2024, though no further sentencing occurred due to the settlement. The disciplinary complaint now awaits a Hearing Board panel’s review and recommendation.
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 that the panel make findings of fact, conclusions of fact and law, and a recommendation for such discipline as is warranted.”
According to avvo.com, Mr. Gabor is a nursing home abuse and neglect attorney in Pontiac, Illinois. He attended the DePaul University College of Law, graduating in 1998. He acquired his law license in the same year.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
