On Thursday, December 19, 2024, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania imposed a three-month suspension on attorney Mary Elizabeth Lenti. This ruling follows her previous suspension issued by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on November 1, 2024, also for a duration of three months. Both suspensions are a result of her ongoing legal issues stemming from professional misconduct in New Jersey.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Mary Elizabeth Lenti,” with case no. 107 DB 2024.
Lenti’s legal troubles began when the Supreme Court of New Jersey suspended her on September 24, 2024, for a series of violations of the New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct. These infractions included her negligent representation of a client, Kathleen Babula, in a probate case. Babula had engaged Lenti in May 2019 to contest the probate of her brother’s will. However, Lenti failed to take necessary actions on Babula’s behalf, which included missing critical court filings and hearings, as well as not adequately discussing the implications of the case with her client.
The New Jersey Disciplinary Review Board (DRB) found that Lenti’s neglect led to the dismissal of Babula’s caveat and the imposition of legal fees from the estate. This pattern of misconduct prompted the DRB to recommend a consecutive suspension, which the New Jersey Supreme Court accepted, resulting in Lenti’s first three-month suspension on July 3, 2024, followed by a later suspension in September.
In the most recent ruling from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Lenti was suspended for failing to respond to a Notice and Order requiring her to present reasons against the reciprocal discipline being imposed due to her New Jersey sanctions. The court’s order stated that Lenti must comply with the provisions of the Pennsylvania Rules of Disciplinary Enforcement, specifically Rule 217.
The Disposition states:
“AND NOW, this 19th day of December 2024, having failed to respond to a Notice and Order directing her to provide reasons against the imposition of reciprocal discipline, Mary Elizabeth Lenti is suspended from the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for a period of three months, consecutive to the three-month suspension ordered by this Court at No. 3072 Disciplinary Docket No. 3 on November 1, 2024. She shall comply with the provisions of Pa.R.D.E. 217.”
According to avvo.com, Ms. Lenti is a lawyer in Mount Holly, New Jersey. She acquired her law license in Pennsylvania in 2011.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
