Lawyer accused of indecent exposure and improper touching is suspended while ethics case is pending
The Illinois Supreme court has issued an interim suspension for a lawyer accused of exposing himself to two people and improperly touching four law firm employees.
The suspension for lawyer Paul M. Weiss of Highland Park remains in effect pending the outcome of the ethics case against him and until further order of the court. The court acted on Friday.
A review board in July upheld findings that Weiss had:
• Improperly touched a file clerk, an office aide and a lawyer. Weiss denied any improprieties.
• Taken off his pants in front of a paralegal and rubbed his crotch suggestively. Weiss said he sometimes changed into a suit at the office but denied any improper conduct.
• Opened the door of his apartment on several occasions to ask a neighbor walking down the stairs to retrieve the newspaper for him because he wasn’t dressed. The neighbor came to believe that Weiss was intentionally exposing himself. Weiss denied opening the door enough to be seen naked.
• Asked a woman at the train station to walk up to his car, where she saw his penis exposed. Weiss said he was wearing shorts and “his package” could have “fallen out a little bit.” Weiss was charge with a municipal violation and received supervision after a stipulated bench trial. The record was expunged.
Weiss says he believe the interim suspension is “very unfair” and the ABA Journal could better spend its time focusing on lawyers who rip off their clients.
“I’ve never had any problems practicing law and fulfilling client obligations,” he said. “I’ve benefited consumers in my practice with hundreds of millions of dollars in class action relief. This has nothing to do with legal practice, nothing to do with clients. This is apparently a morals inquisition.”
The ethics complaint makes charges akin to criminal allegations of assault and battery, yet he has never been criminally charged with any of the conduct and never had the allegations judged by a jury. The charges would never hold up in criminal court, he said.
“It’s unfortunate because I’m a good lawyer,” he said. “If you met me, you would like me. I’m actually a nice guy.”
