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WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Fayette attorney's license suspended pending outcome of medical exam

CHARLESTON – A Fayette County attorney's failure to comply with a directive she undergo a medical examination has resulted in her temporary suspension.

The state Supreme Court on June 29 ordered the immediate administrative suspension of Belinda S. Morton. The Court's order was in response to a motion made the day before by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel after Morton, a sole practitioner in Fayetteville, failed to abide by the Court's April 25 order that be she examined by qualified medical experts to determine her fitness to practice law.

As a result of the suspension the Court ordered all pending disciplinary action against her be held in abeyance. The Lawyer Disciplinary Board on Sept. 26 returned an eight-count statement of charges against Morton alleging 29 violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct in failing to diligently pursue the cases of seven clients.

One count in the statement stemmed from Morton's failure to satisfy a judgment rendered against her in Fayette Magistrate Court by a former tenant of a rental property she owns.

The Court also ordered chief Fayette and Raleigh Circuit judges Paul M. Blake, and John A. Hutchison to appoint an attorney to take an inventory of Morton's client files, and appointed Williamson attorney C. Jane Moran to represent her.

West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals case number 12-0469

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