Opinion ID: 1405134
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ethics Complaint Filed by the Executrix, Mrs. Karen Richardson

Text: On July 1, 2004, the executrix of Ms. Pringle's estate, Mrs. Karen Richardson, who was Ms. Pringle's daughter, met with Mr. Barton and requested an accounting of monies from the personal injury settlement and a return of any balance of the settlement proceeds. By letter dated July 28, 2004, Mr. Barton provided an accounting of his services and indicated that no money was owed to Ms. Pringle's estate and, further, that any money due to Ms. Pringle had been paid to her during her lifetime. Mr. Barton charged the estate a fee of $3,000 for his time involved in providing the accounting. On April 7, 2006, the estate executrix filed a verified ethics complaint against Mr. Barton with the ODC. The complaint asserted that Ms. Pringle had a Medicare lien from medical treatments in the amount of $18,500 that was never paid to Medicare from the settlement proceeds received by Mr. Barton. Further, Ms. Pringle owed an additional amount of $2,200 for hearing aids replaced as a result of the underlying car accident that Mr. Barton did not pay from the proceeds of the settlement monies. Mr. Barton, in his answer, asserted that he paid the sum of $20,000 to Ms. Pringle during her lifetime, representing her portion of the settlement proceeds. In several responses, Mr. Barton also offered to pay certain sums to settle the ethics complaint.