A divided Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday suspended Miami attorney Jeremy Alters for allegedly misappropriating trust accounts to cover personal overdrafts, paying clients with money from other clients’ trust accounts and taking out loans of $14 million to cover client obligations.
The court, in a 4-3 opinion, approved a petition for emergency suspension filed by The Florida Bar Dec. 22. The suspension means that Alters cannot accept new clients, must cease representing his current clients after 30 days and must freeze his trust accounts. The Supreme Court also appointed Joel Brown, chief judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, to referee Alters’ disciplinary case and trial.
