Iowa Lawyer Suspended for Accepting Settlement Client Rejected

An Iowa lawyer who didn’t tell his client about a settlement offer and then accepted a second offer after she rejected it was suspended for three months by the state’s highest court.

“This case is a cautionary tale to the unprepared lawyer to avoid attempts to whitewash one’s poor performance by pressuring a client to settle to end the case,” the Iowa Supreme Court said Sept. 4.

John P. Beauvais Jr. filed the case on behalf of the woman and her child in 2014, the court said. They sought damages for the child’s exposure to lead paint while living in ...