On Thursday, June 13, 2024, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia held attorney M. Paul Marteney in contempt of court for failing to comply with a prior order suspending his law license.
The case is entitled “Office of Lawyer Disciplinary Counsel v. M. Paul Marteney,” with case no. 23-709.
In September 2023, the high court ordered Marteney to have his law license suspended for 90 days and to comply with Rule 3.28 requirements such as notifying clients of the suspension. He was also ordered to refund $200 in filing fees to a former client and pay $1,885.09 in disciplinary proceeding costs. However, Marteney did not complete the required actions or respond to reminders from Lawyer Disciplinary Counsel about the order requirements.
This led to the ODC filing a contempt petition in December 2023. In March 2024, the Supreme Court issued Marteney a rule to show cause to avoid being held in contempt, but he did not take steps to comply with the first order. At a hearing in April, Marteney did not provide any reasons for why he failed to follow the suspension order.
In its decision, the high court held Marteney in contempt for disregarding the September 2023 order. The court issued an indefinite extension of Marteney’s law license suspension until he demonstrates full compliance. This includes filing required client disclosure documents and making arrangements to pay the disciplinary costs. The decision aims to enforce compliance with the court’s original sanctioning of Marteney for alleged violations of ethics rules related to a dismissed civil case.
According to avvo.com, Mr Marteney is a criminal defense attorney in Vienna, West Virginia. He attended the West Virginia University College of Law, graduating in 1996. He acquired his law license in West Virginia in the same year.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
