Case Title: Disciplinary Counsel v. Horton

Citation: 2019-Ohio-4139

Docket Number: 

State: ohio

Court: Ohio Supreme Court

Date: 2019-10-10T00:00:00Z

Document:
[Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets, it may be cited as 
Disciplinary Counsel v. Horton, Slip Opinion No. 2019-Ohio-4139.] 
 
 
NOTICE 
This slip opinion is subject to formal revision before it is published in an 
advance sheet of the Ohio Official Reports.  Readers are requested to 
promptly notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Court of Ohio, 65 
South Front Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, of any typographical or other 
formal errors in the opinion, in order that corrections may be made before 
the opinion is published. 
 
SLIP OPINION NO. 2019-OHIO-4139 
DISCIPLINARY COUNSEL v. HORTON. 
[Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets, it 
may be cited as Disciplinary Counsel v. Horton,  
Slip Opinion No. 2019-Ohio-4139.] 
Attorneys at law—Misconduct—Criminal convictions for failure to file a complete 
and accurate campaign statement—Misuse of county resources and staff by 
allowing staff to work on judicial campaign during work hours and at public 
expense—Inappropriate sexual conduct—Violations of the Rules of 
Professional Conduct and the Code of Judicial Conduct, including 
committing an illegal act that reflected adversely on trustworthiness and 
honesty, undermining public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary, and 
engaging in harassment based on sex in the performance of judicial 
duties—Indefinite suspension with conditions for reinstatement. 
(No. 2018-1746—Submitted May 7, 2019—Decided October 10, 2019.) 
ON CERTIFIED REPORT of the Board of Professional Conduct 
of the Supreme Court of Ohio, No. 2018-010. 
______________________ 
 
 
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O’CONNOR, C.J. 
{¶ 1} Relator, disciplinary counsel, filed a three-count complaint against 
respondent, Timothy Solomon Horton, of Lewis Center, Ohio, Attorney 
Registration No. 0065934.  Horton was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio in 
1996.  Horton served as a judge on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas 
from 2006 until he was elected to the Tenth District Court of Appeals, which he 
joined in 2015.  He submitted his judicial resignation to that court effective 
February 28, 2019. 
{¶ 2} In a complaint certified to the Board of Professional Conduct on 
January 30, 2018, disciplinary counsel alleged that Horton violated multiple 
provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct and two provisions of the Rules of 
Professional Conduct. 
{¶ 3} Count One arose from Horton’s guilty plea to misdemeanor charges 
of failing to file accurate campaign statements.  Count Two alleged that as a 
common-pleas-court judge, Horton had misused county resources and staff for 
work on his 2014 campaign for Tenth District Court of Appeals judge.  Count Three 
alleged sexual misconduct by Horton in 2013 and 2014, including that he had 
sexually harassed a legal intern in his office (both during and after her internship) 
and his secretary. 
{¶ 4} A panel of the board held a five-day hearing during which 16 
witnesses testified.  The panel found that respondent had violated the Code of 
Judicial Conduct and the Rules of Professional Conduct and recommended that he 
be suspended from the practice of law for two years, with one year of the suspension 
stayed if he met certain conditions.  The conditions included an evaluation by the 
Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program (“OLAP”), continued attendance at Alcoholics 
Anonymous, and no further contact with any of the female employees or interns 
who had testified in the proceedings. 
January Term, 2019 
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{¶ 5} The board adopted the panel’s findings of fact and conclusions of law, 
but it disagreed with the recommended sanction.  The board recommended that 
respondent be indefinitely suspended from the practice of law in Ohio, with 
reinstatement conditioned on his (1) continued participation in Alcoholics 
Anonymous, (2) submission to a new OLAP evaluation and compliance with any 
treatment and counseling recommendations arising from the evaluation, (3) not 
contacting the former female employees and interns who had testified in the 
disciplinary proceedings, and (4) payment of costs of the proceedings. 
{¶ 6} Horton raises three objections to the board’s findings and 
recommendation.  He argues that the panel erred by prohibiting the introduction of 
evidence as to whether his conduct was unwelcome, that Count Two was 
unwarranted and should be dismissed, and that the board’s recommended sanction 
was not warranted based on the facts and this court’s precedent. 
{¶ 7} We have reviewed the parties’ arguments and the record.  For the 
reasons set forth below, we adopt the board’s findings of fact and conclusions of 
law and adopt the board’s recommended sanction. 
Misconduct 
Count One—Criminal Conviction 
{¶ 8} Count One charged Horton with violations of Jud.Cond.R. 1.2 and 
Prof.Cond.R. 8.4(b) and (c).  Jud.Cond.R. 1.2 requires a judge to act at all times in 
a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and 
impartiality of the judiciary and to avoid impropriety and the appearance of 
impropriety.  Prof.Cond.R. 8.4(b) states that it is professional misconduct to 
commit an illegal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty or 
trustworthiness; Prof.Cond.R. 8.4(c) states that it is professional misconduct to 
engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation. 
{¶ 9} This count arises from Horton’s criminal convictions.  Horton pleaded 
guilty to three misdemeanor counts of violating R.C. 3517.13(B) by failing to file 
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a complete and accurate campaign statement.  Near the end of 2013, Horton decided 
to run for a seat on the Tenth District Court of Appeals.  In March 2014, he learned 
that he would be unopposed for the seat.  In celebration, he held a private dinner, 
which cost $1,014.09, at a restaurant in downtown Columbus.  He paid for the event 
with campaign funds and reported the expenditure on his campaign-finance report.  
The first count of the criminal complaint, to which Horton admitted guilt, charged 
that Horton caused an inaccurate campaign-finance report to be filed with the 
secretary of state by reporting an expenditure of an unreasonable and excessive 
amount. 
{¶ 10} The second count of the criminal complaint concerned a campaign 
fundraiser held in early March 2014, before it was clear that Horton would be 
unchallenged.  The fundraiser, held at a restaurant in downtown Columbus, had 
only one attendee other than Horton’s court and campaign staff but cost $978.75.  
Horton pleaded guilty to this count for causing an inaccurate campaign-finance 
report to be filed with the secretary of state, thereby admitting that he had reported 
the expenditure knowing that it was an excessive and unreasonable amount. 
{¶ 11} The third count of the criminal complaint concerned a $173.29 
expense that Horton reported for cigars that were to be made available to supporters 
during campaign functions.  Horton made the purchase in July 2014, well after he 
learned he would run unopposed.  Again, Horton admitted guilt for willfully 
reporting an expenditure of an unreasonable and excessive amount, causing an 
inaccurate finance report to be filed with the secretary of state. 
{¶ 12} The trial court sentenced Horton to serve ten days in the Franklin 
County Corrections Center, undergo a drug and alcohol assessment and complete 
follow-up treatment, pay restitution to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank in the amount of 
$2,065, complete 100 hours of community service, verify that he attended at least 
one Alcoholics Anonymous meeting per week, and stay involved in the OLAP 
January Term, 2019 
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program.  He appealed, and the Tenth District Court of Appeals affirmed.  State v. 
Horton, 2017-Ohio-8549, 99 N.E.3d 1090 (10th Dist.). 
{¶ 13} Horton admitted that his conduct violated Jud.Cond.R. 1.2 but 
denied that it violated Prof.Cond.R. 8.4(b) or (c).  The panel dismissed the 
Prof.Cond.R. 8.4(c) charge but found by clear and convincing evidence that Horton 
violated Jud.Cond.R. 1.2 and Prof.Cond.R. 8.4(b) by committing an illegal act that 
reflected adversely on his trustworthiness and honesty and by undermining public 
confidence in the integrity of the judiciary.  The board adopted the panel’s findings 
of fact and conclusions of law on Count One. 
Count Two—Misuse of County Resources and Staff 
{¶ 14} The second count of the disciplinary complaint charged Horton with 
violations of Jud.Cond.R. 1.2 and 4.4(B) for (1) allowing his judicial staff to work 
on his judicial campaign during work hours and at public expense, (2) using county 
resources for his judicial campaign, and (3) directing his judicial staff to be 
involved in the receipt, handling, and delivery of campaign contributions and funds.  
Jud.Cond.R. 4.4(B) states that a judicial candidate shall prohibit public employees 
subject to his or her direction or control from soliciting or receiving campaign 
contributions. 
{¶ 15} Horton admitted that he had told his court staff, “If you want to work 
on [the campaign], you want to volunteer, that’s great, you know I would appreciate 
it.”  Despite Horton’s phrasing the statement as an invitation and not a directive, 
his secretary, Elise Wyant, and staff attorney, Emily Vincent, testified they did not 
feel comfortable not volunteering for his campaign. 
{¶ 16} Horton testified that he understood that campaign work should not 
be conducted on county time or using county equipment.  He also testified that he 
had encouraged his staff to attend a seminar that explained some of the campaign 
rules and restrictions applicable to judicial candidates, their staff, and volunteers.  
But beyond encouraging his staff to attend that seminar, Horton made only limited 
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efforts to ensure that his staff did not work on his campaign using county time or 
resources.  Horton’s judicial staff testified he made requests for them to conduct 
campaign business during hours when they would normally be performing county 
work.  In response, Horton blamed his staff for not policing themselves more 
strictly in their capacity as campaign volunteers.  For example, although Horton’s 
staff was relatively inexperienced in politics, Horton believed it was entirely the 
staff’s obligation to document leave from their county jobs to work on the 
campaign. 
{¶ 17} Wyant testified that Horton would send her campaign work at any 
time of the day, regardless of whether she was at work.  Vincent testified that 
Horton asked her to do work supporting his campaign during her normal workday 
on at least two occasions.  And Horton’s campaign consultant, Bridgette Tupes, 
testified that she had conversations with him about the optics of allowing his staff 
to be seen doing campaign work because she was concerned about public 
perception. 
{¶ 18} Specifically, Horton asked Vincent, during work hours, to pull cases 
in which Columbus was a party, prior to his meeting with the city’s mayor.  Horton 
denied that the information had been compiled to gain a political endorsement but 
explained that he had asked for it “[t]o do due diligence and—and make sure [he 
was] properly prepared when [he met] with electeds, particularly during campaign 
season.”  Thus, the work was undeniably for the campaign.  He also asked her to 
compile a list of attorneys who had practiced before him in cases involving Ohio’s 
casinos and racinos; he told Vincent that the list was for fundraising purposes.  
There is also overwhelming evidence that Horton asked Wyant, during work hours, 
to send letters responding to candidate-screening committees, although he did not 
specifically direct her to compose the letters during work hours.  Wyant also 
attended several golf outings with Horton, most of which were related to his 
campaign, without submitting time-off requests or taking vacation time.  And 
January Term, 2019 
7 
 
Horton directed her to pick up and deliver campaign-related checks, which she did 
during the work day. 
{¶ 19} Additionally, Horton was aware that at least two attorneys had 
dropped off campaign contributions to his office at the court and that Wyant had 
accepted the contributions.  Wyant told Horton about the checks, and rather than 
explain to her that she was not allowed to accept campaign contributions, Horton 
asked her the amount of the checks.  Horton also knew or should have known that 
Wyant was accepting checks at the end of a fundraiser when Tupes had to leave 
early. 
{¶ 20} Horton testified that his staff had not had standard hours or even a 
required number of hours and that their work schedule was flexible.  He argued that 
it was the employees’ prerogative whether to work on his campaign during their 
lunch or after work.  Horton contended that he expected his employees to use their 
own personal laptop computers to do campaign work at the office during lunchtime, 
so they should not have used any county equipment for campaign work. 
{¶ 21} The panel concluded that Horton “had an affirmative duty to make 
certain that his staff was not violating the Rules when they were working on his 
campaign.”  It found that disciplinary counsel proved by clear and convincing 
evidence that Horton violated Jud.Cond.R. 1.2 and 4.4(B).  The board adopted the 
panel’s findings of fact and conclusions of law for Count Two. 
Count Three—Inappropriate Sexual Conduct 
{¶ 22} The third count of the complaint charged Horton with directing 
inappropriate sexual comments and conduct to members of his staff from the 
summer of 2013 until the autumn of 2014.  The complaint alleged that this behavior 
violated Jud.Cond.R. 1.2, 1.3, and 2.3(B) and Prof.Cond.R. 8.4(h).  Jud.Cond.R. 
1.3 prohibits a judge from abusing the prestige of judicial office to advance the 
personal or economic interests of the judge or others or allowing others to do so.  
Jud.Cond.R. 2.3(B) prohibits a judge, in the performance of judicial duties, from 
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manifesting bias or prejudice by words or conduct, or engaging in harassment, 
including but not limited to bias, prejudice, or harassment based upon sex.  Under 
Prof.Cond.R. 8.4(H), it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in 
conduct that adversely reflects on the lawyer’s fitness to practice law. 
{¶ 23} Disciplinary counsel charged Horton with inappropriate sexual 
comments and conduct involving Wyant and M.B., a law student who interned in 
Horton’s office.  Horton’s behavior ranged in both frequency and severity.  His 
court staff described the context for this misconduct—an atmosphere in which 
Horton frequently lectured his staff and interns about loyalty and referred to the 
power he had as a judge. 
{¶ 24} Horton created an inappropriate atmosphere in his office by telling 
members of his staff they were sexy during the work day and commenting on the 
attractiveness of other employees.  He told M.B. that he had asked her to attend a 
meeting so that he would have “something pretty to look at.”  He made clear to 
Wyant that she was to be at his beck and call while working on his campaign.  
Several members of his staff believed it would be inappropriate for them to turn 
down Horton’s happy-hour invitations, which were frequent.  Horton admitted that 
his behavior at happy hours and other times when he was intoxicated was “rude” 
and “obnoxious.” 
{¶ 25} But Horton’s inappropriate conduct was beyond rude.  Vincent, his 
staff attorney, testified that Horton had said her tights were sexy and, during a 
happy hour, told her that he would get in trouble for telling her how he would make 
her over. 
{¶ 26} Horton’s behavior with Wyant, who was 25 years old at the time, 
and M.B., who was 23 years old, was even worse.  Following one happy hour, after 
M.B. had completed her internship, but while she was still a law student, she and 
Horton engaged in sexual conduct.  M.B. testified that she had participated because 
she knew Horton wanted her to.  On three other occasions, Horton encouraged his 
January Term, 2019 
9 
 
friends to touch M.B. inappropriately, and she was groped by his friends on at least 
two occasions, at Horton’s insistence.  Horton also repeatedly told Wyant that she 
“looked sexy” and that he wanted to “fuck” her. 
{¶ 27} Some of Horton’s behavior was corroborated by Tupes, Horton’s 
campaign consultant.  Tupes testified that Horton had said, in Tupes’s presence, 
that he wanted to engage in sexual acts with Wyant.  Tupes also testified that 
although both Horton and Wyant engaged in discussions about sex, Horton had 
initiated “the flirting” and was “more derogatory.”  And Horton admits he engaged 
in explicit sexual conversations with Wyant. 
{¶ 28} Wyant admitted that her own behavior was not faultless.  And M.B. 
described feeling as though Horton was grooming her.  Wyant testified that he made 
her feel valuable only for her looks, not her work.  She also stated that Horton got 
angry on one occasion when she objected to his sexual statements and that she had 
worried it would affect her job if she told Horton that she was uncomfortable.  
Horton, however, argued that Wyant and M.B. had consented to his sexual conduct 
and statements. 
{¶ 29} The panel found that Horton’s behavior was predatory.  The panel 
also found clear and convincing evidence that Horton violated Jud.Cond.R. 1.2, 1.3, 
and 2.3 and Prof.Cond.R. 8.4(h). 
{¶ 30} The board adopted the panel’s findings and conclusions of law.  
Considering all three charges, the board increased the panel’s recommended 
sanction from a two-year suspension with one year stayed on conditions to an 
indefinite suspension with conditions for Horton’s reinstatement to the practice of 
law. 
Horton’s Objections to the Board Report 
{¶ 31} Horton raises three objections to the board’s decision.  First, he states 
that the panel erred by refusing to allow him to introduce evidence addressing 
whether his conduct in Count Three was unwelcome.  Second, he argues that the 
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court should dismiss Count Two in its entirety.  Third, he states that the sanction 
recommended by the board is neither supported by this court’s precedent nor 
warranted by the facts. 
Objection One—Violation of Due Process 
{¶ 32} Horton’s first argument is that the panel violated his right to due 
process with respect to the violation of Jud.Cond.R. 2.3(B).  Comment [4] to 
Jud.Cond.R. 2.3 notes that “[s]exual harassment includes, but is not limited to, 
sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of 
a sexual nature that is unwelcome.”  (Emphasis added.)  According to Horton, he 
was denied due process and the right to defend himself when the panel refused to 
allow him to present evidence that his conduct was not unwelcome. 
{¶ 33} “The standards of due process in a disciplinary proceeding are not 
equal to those in a criminal matter. * * * A disciplinary proceeding is instituted to 
safeguard the courts and to protect the public from the misconduct of those who are 
licensed to practice law, and is neither a criminal nor a civil proceeding.”  In re 
Judicial Campaign Complaint Against Carr, 76 Ohio St.3d 320, 322, 667 N.E.2d 
956 (1996). 
{¶ 34} In support of his argument that the panel improperly excluded 
evidence and denied him due process, Horton cites on Disciplinary Counsel v. 
Smith, 143 Ohio St.3d 325, 2015-Ohio-1304, 37 N.E.3d 1192.  In Smith, the panel 
quashed subpoenas for documentary evidence that the respondent argued would 
support his defense.  Id. at ¶ 13.  This court found that the evidence “in all 
probability would serve to either confirm or discredit Smith’s claims.”  Id. at ¶ 14.  
But as Horton admits, this case is factually quite different from Smith. 
{¶ 35} Unlike the respondent in Smith, Horton does not allege that the panel 
prevented Horton from issuing a subpoena for any documents or witnesses.  
Instead, the panel here prevented lines of questioning of witnesses at the hearing, 
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and it based that decision on the ground that the subject matter of the questions was 
not relevant or the questions were improper attempts to impeach a witness. 
{¶ 36} The evidence Horton sought to adduce is very different in substance 
from the evidence at issue in Smith.  The evidence in Smith was likely dispositive.  
Horton made two evidentiary proffers at the disciplinary hearing, setting forth the 
evidence he would attempt to elicit, if the panel permitted, to prove his behavior 
with M.B. and Wyant had not been unwelcome.  The first proffer concerned 
questions he wanted to ask Wyant about some of the specific conversations between 
the two that Horton alleged included explicit sexual content.  The second proffer 
involved questions he wanted to ask Atiba Jones, the administrator of the Franklin 
County Court of Common Pleas, about his opinion whether Horton’s conduct was 
unwelcome, based on Jones’s perception after seeing Wyant and M.B. at a single 
happy hour. 
{¶ 37} Unlike in Smith, the evidence Horton sought to admit was not 
dispositive or even likely to be highly probative, and it would not have confirmed 
or discredited his defense.  Viewing the record as whole, the panel did not err in 
excluding these lines of questioning. 
{¶ 38} The panel also did not stop Horton from providing his own 
explanation of the circumstances surrounding his conduct or from questioning 
Wyant and M.B. about their feelings concerning the conduct.  Horton was very 
clear in stating his opinion that his 23-year-old intern and 25-year-old secretary had 
been eager participants in his sexual conversations and conduct.  Wyant and M.B. 
admitted they had not always objected to his behavior as it was happening.  Wyant 
admitted that she had joked around with Horton and engaged in explicit sexual 
conversations with him.  M.B. acknowledged her hesitation in coming forward 
because she was not a “perfect victim.” 
{¶ 39} When asked why she had engaged in explicit sexual discussions with 
Horton, Wyant explained: 
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It’s the—I mean, that’s the culture that he created in the 
office, that it was—It wasn’t a professional culture.  It was—You 
know, the culture is created by the leader, and the leader being the 
Judge.  He would describe—He would talk about things that—that 
he wanted to talk about, and so when, you know, I was talking about 
my personal life I took the direction from my leader and, you know, 
I would get personal with my stories, too. 
 
She described how she “came to realize that this—through conversations with 
friends and—like, this wasn’t normal, this wasn’t a—a normal working 
environment.  This culture that he created wasn’t a good one and it wasn’t 
professional at all.” 
{¶ 40} When asked to explain why she had consented to engaging in sexual 
conduct with Horton even though she did not want to, M.B. explained, “I felt like I 
had to do what Judge Horton wanted me to do.  And, you know, I think at the time, 
23 at this point, like, I was naive, certainly, but I also think I was just doing the best 
that I could, you know.”  M.B. further explained: 
 
[T]his is a person who has power over me and I have to go along 
with what he says.  And I don’t know, like, why I still trusted him, 
and thought, you know, it would be different, perhaps. 
 
I still saw him as a mentor, which sounds ridiculous after 
he’s done these horrible things to me; right?  
 
But I think, too, I was—You know, the harassment during 
my internship, right, it started so incrementally, right, that if he had 
told me he wanted to fuck me in the ass my third week on the job, I 
would have been more objected—I would have objected more or, 
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you know, maybe reported it, or done something, but, like, it 
occurred so incrementally that you almost didn’t see it coming, you 
know, like you didn’t realize how bad the situation you were in until 
it was too late to do anything about it, you know.  And I—I think 
there was also, like, a lot of self-blame involved of, you know, it 
must be—it must be my fault because, like, he’s—he’s turned me 
into this sexual object, and so, like, this is just what I know and this 
is how it works, you know. 
 
{¶ 41} After hearing all the testimony, the panel concluded that Wyant, 
Tupes, Vincent, and M.B. were “highly credible witnesses” who had no motivation 
to lie or falsely accuse Horton, while Horton was less than forthright. 
{¶ 42} Based on the testimony admitted at the hearing and Horton’s 
proffers, we hold that the panel did not err in excluding the questions.  At best, the 
evidence Horton sought to adduce would have been cumulative of the other 
evidence showing that Wyant and M.B. did not always clearly object to his conduct.  
But even if Horton’s sexual misconduct was not criminal or did not create civil 
liability, the Code of Judicial Conduct does not merely proscribe crimes or 
discrimination—it recognizes the power and authority of judges and sets a higher 
standard.  It also does not police the conduct of judicial employees.  The Code of 
Judicial Conduct is specifically concerned with the actions of judges.  The issue is 
not whether Wyant objected to each of Horton’s inappropriate statements or 
acquiesced to the inappropriate culture Horton created at his office or if M.B. 
implicitly consented to his sexual conduct.  Horton engaged in sexual harassment 
in the performance of his judicial duties, abused the prestige of his office for his 
own personal interests, and acted in a manner that brings disrepute to the judiciary. 
{¶ 43} As a judge and a supervisor, Horton held a position of power over 
his staff and interns.  He repeatedly emphasized his power and the importance of 
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loyalty to him.  And it seems to be no coincidence that Horton’s most egregious 
behavior occurred with and around the younger, less professionally experienced 
members of his staff who he could more easily manipulate.  As did the panel, we 
find that his behavior was predatory. 
{¶ 44} Ample evidence demonstrates that Horton engaged in sexual 
harassment in violation of Jud.Cond.R. 2.3(B), and the panel’s refusal to permit 
certain lines of questioning in no way changes that conclusion.  We hold that the 
panel did not err or violate Horton’s due-process rights, and we overrule his first 
objection. 
Objection Two—Count Two Should Be Dismissed 
{¶ 45} Horton’s next objection asserts that Count Two should be dismissed 
in its entirety for two reasons. 
{¶ 46} First, Horton argues that because his judicial staff was exempt from 
overtime pay and had a flexible schedule, there is not clear and convincing evidence 
that his staff performed campaign work on county time.  Horton analogizes his case 
to a 2004 decision by this court, Disciplinary Counsel v. O’Neill, 103 Ohio St.3d 
204, 2004-Ohio-4704, 815 N.E.2d 286.  In that case, the panel found that Judge 
O’Neill’s staff attorney was a “salaried professional with flexible work hours” and 
therefore the evidence did not establish that she had performed campaign work on 
county time.  Instead, the panel found that the staff attorney spent a de minimis 
amount of time working on the campaign—she picked up t-shirts twice, made two 
or three trips to a local print company for car signs, folded and stuffed campaign 
literature on two occasions, and occasionally accompanied the judge on lunchtime 
trips to meet with the campaign’s treasurer.  There was also testimony that the staff 
attorney worked more than 40 hours per week. 
{¶ 47} In this case, the time at issue was not de minimis.  In addition to 
working on the campaign while in the office on county time and occasionally 
making short trips to pick up and drop off campaign checks, Wyant spent entire 
January Term, 2019 
15 
 
days, days that were not recorded as time off, out of the office attending golf outings 
on behalf of the campaign.  And Wyant never worked more than 40 hours a week; 
indeed, she typically worked fewer than 40 hours. 
{¶ 48} Horton attempts to absolve himself by stating that his judicial 
employees were responsible for their own timekeeping and leave requests.  
However, it was Horton’s decision not to keep a closer eye on his employees’ time 
or to create a stronger ethic of professionalism in the office.  And again, the 
employees’ culpability is not at issue.  If a sitting judge chooses to allow public 
employees to volunteer to work on his or her campaign, it is incumbent upon the 
judge to uphold the integrity of the judiciary by imposing clear rules prohibiting 
campaign work on county time or using county resources and strictly enforcing 
those rules.  If a judge does not feel confident about his or her ability to make and 
enforce such rules, then the judge should not accept assistance from public 
employees. 
{¶ 49} Horton, not his staff, was subject to Jud.Cond.R. 1.2, which requires 
that a judge “act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the 
independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary.”  By failing to impose 
strict standards on his staff concerning the use of public time and resources, Horton 
failed to promote public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.  
Sufficient evidence supported the board’s finding that Horton violated Jud.Cond.R. 
1.2. 
{¶ 50} Second, Horton argues that the board erroneously found that he 
violated Jud.Cond.R. 4.4(B) based on Wyant’s handling of campaign expenditures, 
including payments from the campaign to sponsor charity golf outings and wellness 
walks, not campaign contributions.  But Horton entirely ignores the board’s finding 
that on two occasions, lawyers dropped off campaign contributions to Wyant in 
Horton’s chambers.  Jud.Cond.R. 4.4(B) states that a judicial candidate shall 
prohibit public employees subject to his or her direction or control from soliciting 
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or receiving campaign contributions.  Horton knew about the checks because 
Wyant told him that they had been dropped off, and rather than instruct her not to 
accept contributions, he asked the amount of the checks.  These two incidents are 
sufficient to constitute a violation of Jud.Cond.R. 4.4(B) as well as a violation of 
Jud.Cond.R. 1.2 as alleged in Count Two.  We overrule Horton’s second objection. 
Objection Three—An Indefinite Suspension Is Not Supported by the Evidence or 
by Precedent 
{¶ 51} Horton’s third objection is that an indefinite suspension is not 
supported by this court’s precedent or the evidence.  Horton states that applicable 
precedent comes from two lines of cases, the first addressing reporting and financial 
issues and the second addressing sexual-harassment issues.  In his view, the board’s 
recommendation of an indefinite suspension came from only the sexual-harassment 
line of cases, and he argues that those cases suggest that an actual suspension of, at 
most, six months is appropriate, although he argues that the most analogous cases 
resulted in stayed suspensions.  Horton further argues that the cases concerning 
reporting inaccuracies suggest that either a reprimand or fully stayed suspension 
would be an appropriate sanction. 
{¶ 52} We disagree with Horton’s position for several reasons.  First, 
although both he and the board suggest that there are two lines of relevant cases, 
there are actually three.  Horton and the board did not consider those cases in which 
an elected official improperly used county resources for campaign work or allowed 
a public employee subject to the judge’s direction or control to solicit or receive 
campaign contributions.  See, e.g., Disciplinary Counsel v. Evans, 89 Ohio St.3d 
497, 499, 733 N.E.2d 609 (2000).  The appropriate sanction must protect the public 
from the type of harm that is the subject of all three charges. 
{¶ 53} Second, Horton incorrectly believes that cases imposing sanctions 
for actions involving only one form of misconduct—for example, cases involving 
only misreporting, only misuse of government resources, or only sexual 
January Term, 2019 
17 
 
misconduct—identify the appropriate punishment here.  This case includes 
violations in three separate areas, and in determining the sanction necessary to 
protect the public, we must take into account the cumulative array of Horton’s 
violations.  Imposing a sanction that is equivalent to a sanction in a case with only 
one type of violation would demean the number and severity of Horton’s 
infractions. 
{¶ 54} Third, Horton’s suggestion that the board’s sanction is based entirely 
on the sexual-harassment line of cases is also unavailing.  The board explained that 
its recommendation to impose a harsher sanction than the panel had recommended 
was “predicated on Respondent’s predatory and harmful conduct toward and the 
vulnerability of the victims of his conduct and the flagrant abuse of his position of 
authority vis-à-vis * * * Wyant and MB.”  But “[f]or these reasons and those cited 
by the panel, the Board conclude[d] that a longer suspension” was necessary.  In 
recommending an indefinite suspension, the board took all of the panel’s findings 
and this court’s precedent into account, not just those related to sexual misconduct, 
as Horton suggests. 
{¶ 55} We are also not persuaded by Horton’s argument distinguishing 
cases that the board relied on in determining the sanction.  He argues that the 
conduct at issue in Lake Cty. Bar Assn. v. Mismas, 139 Ohio St.3d 346, 2014-Ohio-
2483, 11 N.E.3d 1180; Disciplinary Counsel v. Skolnick, 153 Ohio St.3d 283, 2018-
Ohio-2990, 104 N.E.3d 775; and Disciplinary Counsel v. Sarver, 155 Ohio St.3d 
100, 2018-Ohio-4717, 119 N.E.3d 405, was more severe than his but that the 
lawyers involved in those cases received lighter sanctions.  But as Horton 
recognizes, those cases involved lawyers, not judges.  The board reasonably relied 
on the actual suspension imposed in those cases, coupled with the “position of trust 
and authority” that Horton exploited “for his personal gratification” and his 
significant misconduct in relation to his campaign, as a basis for recommending a 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
18 
 
more severe sanction than was imposed in those cases or recommended by the 
board in this case. 
{¶ 56} And finally, Horton asks this court to consider two other cases that 
he believes support his argument against an indefinite suspension, Cincinnati Bar 
Assn. v. Young, 89 Ohio St.3d 306, 731 N.E.2d 631 (2000), and Disciplinary 
Counsel v. Campbell, 68 Ohio St.3d 7, 623 N.E.2d 24 (1993).  Those cases may be 
useful for comparison, but the respondents in those cases were not charged with 
violating Jud.Cond.R. 2.3, which had not been adopted at the time the cases were 
decided.  Horton’s case appears to be one of first impression applying Jud.Cond.R. 
2.3 to sexual misconduct. 
{¶ 57} Jud.Cond.R. 2.3 was adopted in 2009.  See 120 Ohio St.3d XCVIII. 
Although the previous version of the judicial code included canons that prohibited 
a judge, in the performance of judicial duties, by words or conduct, from 
manifesting bias or prejudice, including bias or prejudice based upon gender, see 
former Canons 3(B)(5) and (6) of the Code of Judicial Conduct, 78 Ohio St.3d 
CLXV, CLXXIII, the specific prohibition on sexual harassment was not added until 
2009, when the court adopted a code closely aligned with the American Bar 
Association’s (“ABA’s”) Model Code of Judicial Conduct.  The ABA’s Model 
Code included the sexual-harassment language because “the Commission was 
persuaded that sexual harassment deserves special mention, given the significance 
of the problem and that harassment per se was sufficiently distinct from bias and 
prejudice to deserve separate mention in the black-letter rule.”  Harrison, The 2007 
ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct: Blueprint for a Generation of Judges, 28 
Just.Sys.J. 257, 263 (2007).  Horton was on notice that sexual harassment in the 
performance of his judicial duties was strictly prohibited. 
{¶ 58} We find that Horton did not establish that the recommended sanction 
is unsupported by precedent, because this case involves multiple violations of 
provisions of the Judicial Code of Conduct, including one provision for which this 
January Term, 2019 
19 
 
is a case of first impression, and of the Rules of Professional Conduct,.  Further, 
given the number and severity of violations, we do not find that the sanction is 
unwarranted by the facts. 
{¶ 59} We overrule Horton’s third objection, and we adopt the board’s 
findings of fact and misconduct and conclusions of law as to all three charges. 
Sanction 
{¶ 60} Having adopted the board’s findings of fact and misconduct and 
overruled Horton’s objections, we now consider the appropriate sanction.  “[T]he 
primary purpose of disciplinary sanctions is not to punish the offender, but to 
protect the public.”  O’Neill, 103 Ohio St.3d 204, 2004-Ohio-4704, 815 N.E.2d 
286, at ¶ 53.  But sanctions also serve as a deterrent to similar violations by judges, 
lawyers, and judicial candidates in the future.  See, e.g., In re Judicial Campaign 
Complaint Against Brigner, 89 Ohio St.3d 1460, 732 N.E.2d 994 (2000), citing In 
re Judicial Campaign Complaint Against Morris, 81 Ohio Misc.2d 64, 65, 675 
N.E.2d 580 (1997).  And importantly, sanctions notify “ ‘the public of the self-
regulating nature of the legal profession and enhance public confidence in the 
integrity of judicial proceedings.’ ”  Disciplinary Counsel v. Tamburrino, 151 Ohio 
St.3d 148, 2016-Ohio-8014, 87 N.E.3d 158, ¶ 44, quoting In re Judicial Campaign 
Complaint Against O’Toole, 141 Ohio St.3d 355, 2014-Ohio-4046, 24 N.E.3d 
1114, ¶ 64. 
{¶ 61} When determining what sanction to impose for judicial and attorney 
misconduct, we consider the duties that were violated, the harm that occurred, any 
aggravating or mitigating factors, and the sanctions imposed in similar cases.  
Disciplinary Counsel v. Broeren, 115 Ohio St.3d 473, 2007-Ohio-5251, 875 N.E.2d 
935, ¶ 21; see also Disciplinary Counsel v. Elum, 148 Ohio St.3d 606, 2016-Ohio-
8256, 71 N.E.3d 1085, ¶ 9. 
{¶ 62} As we have described, Horton committed multiple violations of four 
provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct and two provisions of the Rules of 
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Professional Conduct.  His actions—abusing his staff, allowing his staff to use 
county time and materials to work on his campaign, filing false campaign-finance 
reports, and apparently attempting to use his role as a judge, including his previous 
rulings, to win endorsements and campaign contributions—undermined the 
public’s faith in the judiciary.  His actions impaired the public’s faith in an impartial 
judiciary, and they were particularly harmful to his judicial staff who risked their 
own employment and reputations by conducting campaign work on county time 
under Horton’s supervision. 
{¶ 63} The board identified eight aggravating factors that relate to six of the 
potential aggravating factors described in the Rules for the Government of the Bar 
of Ohio: 
 Horton committed multiple violations of both the Ohio Rules of Judicial 
Conduct and the Rules of Professional Conduct, Gov.Bar.R. V(13)(B)(4); 
 Horton has refused to accept responsibility for his misconduct, Gov.Bar.R. 
V(13)(B)(7); 
 Horton attempted to shift the blame for some of his rule violations to his 
employees.  An example of this was Horton’s theme of his case.  In the opening 
statement for Horton, his counsel stated, “She gave as much as she got,” 
(emphasis added), Gov.Bar.R. V(13)(B)(7); 
 Rather than from inadvertence, as Horton has suggested or claimed, a 
substantial number of rule violations committed by Horton resulted from his 
intentional conduct and therefore constitutes a pattern of misconduct, 
Gov.Bar.R. V(13)(B)(3); 
 Horton acted with a dishonest or selfish motive in his dealings with his 
employees and with respect to his use of campaign funds for impermissible 
purposes, Gov.Bar.R. V(13)(B)(2); 
January Term, 2019 
21 
 
 Horton’s response to the charges against him in these disciplinary proceedings 
lacks credibility and calls into question his character as an attorney, Gov.Bar.R. 
V(13)(B)(6);  
 Horton’s actions in dealing with his employees constitute sexual harassment, 
Gov.Bar.R. V(13)(B)(8); and 
 Horton’s actions had a detrimental effect on at least one of his employees, 
Gov.Bar.R. V(13)(B)(8). 
{¶ 64} The board also identified four potential mitigating factors, although 
it determined that one, testimony about his alcohol use, did not rise to the level 
necessary for mitigation under the Rules for the Government of the Bar of Ohio: 
 Horton has no prior discipline, Gov.Bar.R. V(13)(C)(1); 
 Horton suffered, as it relates to count one, an imposition of other penalties and 
sanctions, Gov.Bar.R. V(13)(C)(6); 
 Horton presented substantial testimony regarding his use and abuse of alcohol, 
Gov.Bar.R. V(13)(C)(7); and 
 There was substantial character testimony on Horton’s behalf, Gov.Bar.R. 
V(13)(C)(5). 
{¶ 65} The board found that there was insufficient evidence to credit 
Horton’s substance abuse as mitigating.  Under Gov.Bar.R. V(13)(C)(7), in order 
for a substance-abuse disorder to qualify as mitigating, there must be evidence to 
support a finding of all the following: 
 
(a) A diagnosis of a disorder by a qualified health care 
professional or qualified chemical dependency professional; 
(b) A determination that the disorder contributed to cause the 
misconduct; 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
22 
 
(c) In the case of mental disorder, a sustained period of 
successful treatment or in the case of substance use disorder or 
nonsubstance-related disorder, a certification of successful 
completion of an approved treatment program; 
(d) A prognosis from a qualified health care professional or 
qualified chemical dependency professional that the attorney will be 
able to return to competent, ethical professional practice under 
specified conditions. 
 
{¶ 66} The board found that Horton failed to provide evidence in support of 
the last three requirements.  It also noted that “by all accounts, including his own 
testimony, Respondent did not drink during the work day.”  Horton’s alcohol use 
was not a contributing factor to the misconduct that occurred during work hours, 
including the campaign-finance violations, sexual harassment in the workplace, and 
misuse of county time and resources for his campaign.  In fact, rather than relying 
on his alcohol use as a defense, Horton maintained that much of the misconduct 
never occurred, and he has never alleged that the criminal conduct to which he 
admitted was related to his substance abuse.  We agree with the board that Horton’s 
substance abuse should not be construed as a mitigating factor, because he failed to 
establish that his alcohol use contributed to the bulk of his misconduct. 
{¶ 67} In evaluating the other aggravating and mitigating factors, the board 
focused on Horton’s failure to take responsibility and failure to comprehend his 
position of power as a judge. 
{¶ 68} For example, the board notes that Horton’s attorney set the tone for 
the hearing in his opening statement when he argued that M.B. “gave as much as 
she got.”  When asked if Horton’s sexual contact with M.B. was consensual in his 
mind, Horton answered, “Based on her activities and what she said and did, there 
was no question that this was consensual contact, and that’s putting it kindly.”  
January Term, 2019 
23 
 
When asked if he encouraged another person to lift up M.B.’s shirt, Horton replied 
that “M.B. was doing enough of the lifting up of her own shirt and also grinding on 
her own.” 
{¶ 69} Eventually, however, Horton admitted, “It was my fault.  I don’t 
blame M.B. for her being in that position.  I had the responsibility.  I was the Judge.  
I was the more mature person.  I was the adult.”  But after this admission, when 
questioned about why he thought making sexual statements to staff was 
appropriate, he responded, “If we’re engaging in conversation and you’re talking 
about someone’s penis, and you’re talking about different ways to do this and do 
that, any conversation to that point * * * I’m assuming it’s—it’s—it’s fair game 
* * * we’re both sharing the stories, so it’s not unwelcome.”  When asked if he had 
ever heard that “subordinates sometimes feel pressured to go along with what they 
perceive as the boss’s or their superior’s way of doing things,” Horton cast blame 
on his staff, stating that they were “hopping up at 4:00 o’clock saying, ‘Boss, where 
are we going?’ * * * every five minutes.”  After admitting some responsibility, 
Horton went on to say, “I wish we had video of the conversations or recordings of 
what they said, what they did, so that you can look at it and tell me whether this 
conversation was forced or was not forced.”  Because we find that Horton made 
inconsistent statements regarding his responsibility for his sexual misconduct, we 
find that any statements accepting responsibility lack sincerity, particularly in light 
of his numerous attempts to deflect responsibility by pointing to certain actions and 
statements of his victims. 
{¶ 70} Horton also blamed his staff for the violations alleged in parts of 
Count Two.  Horton admitted that he told his county staff, “If you want to work on 
[the campaign], you want to volunteer, that’s great, you know, I would appreciate 
it * * *.”  And he testified that his staff members who volunteered did so on their 
own volition, although he admitted that he suggested that attendance at his 
fundraisers could benefit their careers. 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
24 
 
{¶ 71} After members of his judicial staff agreed to volunteer on the 
campaign, merely encouraging his judicial staff to attend a judicial-campaign 
seminar did not fulfill his obligation to ensure that his staff did not conduct 
campaign work on county time.  Although Horton testified that he occasionally 
instructed his judicial staff not to work on county time or use county resources for 
campaign work, he abdicated any responsibility for enforcing that rule.  As to using 
leave time, he stated that he believed it was up to his staff “to keep track of all 
[their] balances, whether * * * personal, sick, vacation, flex.”  And while he 
testified that he expected his employees to complete campaign work “at lunch, or 
after work, or whatever, it’s [their] prerogative,” he continued to give them 
campaign assignments during work hours and did not reinforce a ban on working 
on county time or using county resources. 
{¶ 72} The other factor that the board relied on is nearly inseparable from 
Horton’s failure to take responsibility—his failure to recognize the power that came 
from his position as a judge and his repeated abuse of that power.  The Code of 
Judicial Conduct imposes rules and expectations on judges, in order to uphold “the 
principle that an independent, impartial, and competent judiciary * * * will interpret 
and apply the law that governs our society * * * and enhance confidence in our 
legal system.”  Preamble, Section 1.  “Judges should maintain the dignity of judicial 
office at all times and avoid both impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in 
their professional and personal lives.  They should aspire at all times to conduct 
that ensures the greatest possible public confidence in their independence, 
impartiality, integrity, and competence.”  Preamble, Section 2.  Judges are in a 
position to exert power over their employees, the attorneys who practice before 
them, and the litigants in cases over which they preside.  Recognizing this power, 
we have held that “ ‘[j]udges are held to higher standards of integrity and ethical 
conduct than attorneys or other persons not invested with the public trust.’ ”  
O’Neill, 103 Ohio St.3d 204, 2004-Ohio-4704, 815 N.E.2d 286, ¶ 57, quoting 
January Term, 2019 
25 
 
Shaman, Lubet & Alfini, Judicial Conduct and Ethics 1 (3d Ed.2000).  Judges 
should comport themselves in a manner that is beyond reproach.  Cincinnati Bar 
Assn. v. Heitzler, 32 Ohio St.2d 214, 221, 291 N.E.2d 477 (1972).  Far from 
engaging in behavior that was beyond reproach, Horton exercised poor judgment 
in his professional and personal lives—in his campaign, in his office, and after 
hours.  As the board recognized, his “conduct demeans the public’s trust in the legal 
system.” 
{¶ 73} Horton failed to recognize that as a judge, he was responsible for 
setting the tone for his office and creating an atmosphere of integrity and ethical 
conduct that would inspire confidence in the judiciary.  Instead, he created a hostile 
work environment and allowed county resources to be used to benefit his judicial 
campaign.  Then he blamed his staff for causing his own unethical and 
inappropriate behavior. 
{¶ 74} In light of Horton’s failure to take responsibility, we find that limited 
weight should be accorded to the evidence he offered in mitigation.  A severe 
sanction is necessary to protect the public from future harm and to impress upon 
Horton and the rest of the state’s judiciary that campaign-finance violations, abuse 
of public resources and trust, and sexual harassment and misconduct by judges will 
not be condoned. 
{¶ 75} To determine a sanction that adequately protects the public, we 
consider the sanctions imposed in similar cases.  However, as we explained in 
response to Horton’s objection to the imposition of an indefinite suspension, this is 
a unique case.  Although some of our precedent addresses conduct that is similar to 
at least one of Horton’s violations, no party has pointed to, and we have been unable 
to find, any case that includes the range of misconduct that Horton committed.  And, 
as we noted in response to the third objection, we have found no Ohio case in which 
a judge was punished for sexual misconduct pursuant to Jud.Cond.R. 2.3. 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
26 
 
{¶ 76} We take seriously our responsibility for setting precedent concerning 
Jud.Cond.R. 2.3, and we agree with the board that an indefinite suspension is the 
sanction that will best serve to protect the public by deterring the kind of damaging 
conduct present here.  The ABA’s Joint Commission to Evaluate the Model Code 
of Judicial Conduct recognized more than a decade ago that “sexual harassment 
deserves special mention, given the significance of the problem.”  Harrison, 28 
Just.Sys.J. 257 at 263.  The large scope of the problem, its detrimental impact on 
individual victims and the public at large, and the distrust created when charges are 
brought against members of the judiciary are even more evident today than they 
were in 2007. 
{¶ 77} Although an indefinite suspension may not be appropriate in all 
cases of sexual misconduct or harassment in violation of Jud.Cond.R. 2.3, we find 
that an indefinite suspension is the appropriate sanction here given the number of 
other violations, the harm to individual victims and to the public trust, the 
significant number of aggravating factors, and the limited mitigating evidence.  We 
will protect the public by sending a strong message to members of the judiciary that 
abusing the trust of public employees and the public at large will result in 
significant consequences. 
{¶ 78} The board adopted the findings of fact and conclusions of law made 
by the hearing panel.  It then recommended that Horton be indefinitely suspended 
from the practice of law in Ohio with reinstatement conditioned on his (1) continued 
participation in Alcoholics Anonymous, (2) submission to a new OLAP evaluation 
and compliance with any treatment and counseling recommendations arising from 
the evaluation, (3) not contacting the former employees and interns who testified in 
those proceedings, and (4) payment of the costs of these proceedings.  Having 
reviewed the record, the board’s report, Horton’s objections to the recommendation 
and disciplinary counsel’s response to those objections, and our precedent, we 
agree. 
January Term, 2019 
27 
 
{¶ 79} Accordingly, we overrule Horton’s objections and impose the 
board’s recommended sanction.  Horton is indefinitely suspended from the practice 
of law in Ohio with reinstatement conditioned on his (1) continued participation in 
Alcoholics Anonymous, (2) submission to a new OLAP evaluation and compliance 
with any treatment and counseling recommendations arising from the evaluation, 
(3) not contacting the former female employees and interns who testified in those 
proceedings, and (4) payment of the costs of these proceedings.  Costs are taxed to 
Horton. 
Judgment accordingly. 
KENNEDY, FRENCH, FISCHER, DEWINE, DONNELLY, and STEWART, JJ., 
concur. 
_______________________ 
Scott J. Drexel, Disciplinary Counsel, and Audrey E. Varwig, Assistant 
Disciplinary Counsel, for relator. 
Brunner Quinn, Rick L. Brunner, and Patrick M. Quinn, for respondent. 
_______________________