Monday, June 6, 2011

Mouthpiece Hall of Infamy: Eric Deters

Last year, I told you about the Cincinnati-area high school teacher and sometimes Bengals Cheerleader who obtained an eye-popping $11 million dollar default judgment against an Internet gossip website.  After I left off talking about that story, my curiosity about Ms. Sarah Jone's lawyer, Eric "Bulldog" Deters was tirggerd.  This was because there were suggestions in the coverage, at that time, that Mr. Deters sued the wrong entity.  This meant that the $11-mil judgment was nothing but a chimera.   I don't know if Mr. Deters was able to collect anything for Miss Jones who claimed her reputation was sullied by an ex-boyfriend who posted something unkind about her at the website.  Of course there's no more glaring publicity than news articles in your hometown paper trumpeting you mega-millions lawsuit with suggestions that you go look at the obnoxious things said about you justifying a million dollar default judgment.

It turns out that Eric Deters is, or should I say, was a radio personality at WLW 700AM, Cincinnati.  WLW is one of those old-fashioned (owned by Clear Channel) AM channels with a huge (50,000 watt, a friend claims that the station once had a 500,000 watt) radio signal and lots of right wing talk--although, not Deters who got canned for racially "insensitive" remarks.  The remarks that cost Deters his weekend radio slot were made in a video (now deleted) at Deters' Facebook page according to the Cincinnati.

Then it came out this week that a Kentucky Bar disciplinary authority is looking to suspend Deters for a systematic pattern of filing frivolous lawsuits or put another way, filing lawsuits without first figuring out if he has a good faith basis for the lawsuit.  Deters response, sue the Bar Association  Brilliant. 

Here's an excerpt from the Kentucky Post account on the status of the current investigation: 

Lawyer and [former] WLW-AM (700) radio personality Eric Deters may be in danger of having his license to practice law in Kentucky temporarily suspended.

Trial Commissioner Frank P. Doheny recommended the suspension in a report claiming that Deters has abused his position as attorney by adopting a "sue first, ask questions later" mentality. Deters is also being accused of reckless action without accountability.

If the suspension is carried out, it would last 181 days. All suspensions lasting longer than 180 days require the lawyer to go through the bar association’s character and fitness committee before he or she can be readmitted. In that case, readmittance is not a guarantee.

Doheny's report claims [Mr. D]eters violated several rules including contacting clients already represented, claiming bias on the part of Judge Stephen Bates during a radio broadcast and accusing former Kenton County Judge Ralph Drees of conspiring with a home builder to place a bid for a new jailhouse in Independence.

"(Deters) simply spits out words to see where they splatter and injures people in the process," Doheny wrote in the 21-page report.

Deters issued a statement in response to the requested suspension.

“Those baseless charges against me do not include: dishonesty, a crime, theft, malpractice, harm to a client, moral turpitude or any shameful act,” the statement said. “They are nitpicky nothings.”

Deters plans to fight the recommendation filed by Dehony Tuesday in Frankfort's Office of the Disciplinary Clerk.

“My battle with the Kentucky Bar Association is far from over,” Deters said. “Frank Doheny, my hearing officer, was supposed to serve as an unbiased one. He is not a judge in real life.”
__________________________________________
Deters is a flame-thrower in the mode of Hall of Infamy member, Geoffrey Fieger, except Fieger actually appears to fairly investigate his claims prior to filing.  Deters sounds like he's a whole lot more improvisational and maybe a little more low-rent.  Of course, this is just O-P-I-N-I-O-N.  Lest you think I'm being overly paranoid, Deters sued a Cincy blogger last year over an item in the Whistleblower blog.

I added the latter caveat, because Mr. Deters likes to file lawsuits including his second lawsuit against the Kentucky Bar Association last week over his disciplinary process.  The coverage of that lawsuit in the Cincinnati Enquirer caught my eye suggests that Deters will have his Kentucky law license suspended.  Deters, of course, felt it was necessary to respond to his public and posted the YouTube video at this link to the BluegrassBulletin.com where Marcus Carey writes:

"Deters tends to polarize people, but he says he doesn't care. This week the bar association, through a hearing officer, recommended that he be suspended for 181 days. That kind of punishment means that the suspension would not end with automatic reinstatement, rather would require a character and fitness review and perhaps permanent removal from the practice.

Deters has rammed his head into a number of brick walls lately. He has been criticized for suing prosecutors, sanctioned by state and federal courts and sharply criticized for his challenge to the impartiality of the hearing officer assigned to rule on his disciplinary case."
______________________________
This means , contrary to what Deters say in his YouTube rant would likely cost him his license to practice law in any state with reciprocal discipline--which is every state including Ohio and Florida.

At this link you can look at Mr. Deters' colorful law firm website.  Truly a remarkable piece of work--and, probably in itself qualifying for disciplinary scrutiny since his representations as an "expert" contravene prohibitions under most disciplinary regimes.  And I was a practing attorney for nearly three decades and I never heard of the US Bar Association which Deters claims to be the president of; nor, does a web search turn up any such entity. 

Then again maybe you can find something at Deter's other shrine to himself, his Facebook page.

All my career I've known lawyers like Eric Deters.  Some had less on the ball than Deters, and some were sufficiently competent that the self-promotion could be forgiven.  Maybe once upon a time, Deters actually cared about the law, and his clients--now, it seems that his gigantic ego totally swamps all commonsense.  He's totally foolish if he thinks an unctuous approach to the disciplinary authorities is a good approach.  In fact the disciplinary rules require lawyers to cooperate and be forthright.  Deters appears from this distance to be taking the opposite approach.  We'll keep an eye on Eric Deters, it should be fascinating and instructive.

20 comments:

  1. Eric should stick with defending J-walkers and over sexed teachers and let real lawyers litigate the real cases. As my daddy always said,"If you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch."

    ReplyDelete
  2. We need a lawyer like Eric in Northern Kentucky. After all every village needs a Idiot and we got the best. Who would we make fun of if we lost Eric.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If Eric was in any other profession he would have been drummed out by his colleagues by now. Why won't the Bar Association reconize this man is a determent to their profession and disbar him?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Eric fails at everything he does but spins his failure to make it sound like it's a success. The resturant he ran into the ground in Independence. It closed because it was a s%^#@ing resturant. But if you read Eric's explanation he closed the resturant because of summer vacations. If that was the truth then why is it now a day care center?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Eric, in his online video, reports that HE takes cases other lawyers won't touch. Of course he does because other lawyers understand rule 11. Maybe thats why he was ordered to take a 20 hour class on how to be a lawyer. Thats why he was ordered to hire a real lawyer to teach him about the law.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sounds like a lot of people are scared of Eric Deters... and that's the kind of Lawyer you need on your side. A lot of the great lawyers are disliked.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have to agree with the comment from Sept 6 2011. I plan on making an appointment with Mr. Deters with hope he is willing to fight against the injustice of Justice.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Then Anonymous, people are not "scared" of Eric Deters, and he is not "disliked" for the reasons you suggest. He is disliked because he is a complete idiot when it comes to the practice of law. After the blow-hard theatrics, grandstanding, and persona, one must actually know and understand the substantive and procedural law to effectively represent a client.

    Do yourself a favor ... ask a lawyer who has had a case with Deters what he (or she) thinks of him.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice blog. I had fun reading this. And it is easy to understand. Nice going.
    Macon Lawyers

    ReplyDelete
  10. My case has literally been passed around @ deters "firm" FOUR times. The last being Phil C. Phil is no longer with Deter's, just like the last guy that was handling my case.

    Either this guy is horrible and it is defamation to his practicing litigators, or it's a jump off point for great careers............

    Which is it????

    ReplyDelete
  11. As a resident of the Cincinnati area I wake up every morning to watch the local news. At least once a week there is Deters with a new senstionalized case. Recently the suit was for the Bengals cheerleader for slander against a rag mag that was in court and resulted in a hung jury. Deters was on the news afterwards and said quote " I didn't think we would win". THEN WHY TAKE THE CASE? Well, because he got the media attention. He is loathed by most in the Cincinnati area not because he is hardball attorney but because he is an embarrassment to the legal system. BTW he was ordered to attend anger management classes, suspension of practicing law for 61 days and attend a law and ethics training in 2012. Yeah, that's who I want on my side....(sarcasm).

    ReplyDelete
  12. why is Eric Deters allowed to keep being suspended and not lose his license, he is getting rich treating people wrong he breaks the law and gets a pat on the hand and told not to do that for a short time, then he is back out taking peoples money and not defending them according to the law.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He gives false information about what he can do and where he can practice law. He takes your money then you find out he can't go into the State that you hired him for. I know this for a fact and he never gives the money back after not telling the truth.

      Delete
  13. Otr214428
    INTERNATIONAL CONCEPT OF WORK FROM HOME
    Work from home theory is fast gaining popularity because of the freedom and flexibility that comes with it. Since one is not bound by fixed working hours, they can schedule their work at the time when they feel most productive and convenient to them. Women & Men benefit a lot from this concept of work since they can balance their home and work perfectly. People mostly find that in this situation, their productivity is higher and stress levels lower. Those who like isolation and a tranquil work environment also tend to prefer this way of working. Today, with the kind of communication networks available, millions of people worldwide are considering this option.

    Women & Men who want to be independent but cannot afford to leave their responsibilities at home aside will benefit a lot from this concept of work. It makes it easier to maintain a healthy balance between home and work. The family doesn't get neglected and you can get your work done too. You can thus effectively juggle home responsibilities with your career. Working from home is definitely a viable option but it also needs a lot of hard work and discipline. You have to make a time schedule for yourself and stick to it. There will be a time frame of course for any job you take up and you have to fulfill that project within that time frame.

    There are many things that can be done working from home. A few of them is listed below that will give you a general idea about the benefits of this concept.

    Baby-sitting
    This is the most common and highly preferred job that Women & Men like doing. Since in today's competitive world both the parents have to work they need a secure place to leave behind their children who will take care of them and parents can also relax without being worried all the time. In this job you don't require any degree or qualifications. You only have to know how to take care of children. Parents are happy to pay handsome salary and you can also earn a lot without putting too much of an effort.

    Nursery
    For those who have a garden or an open space at your disposal and are also interested in gardening can go for this method of earning money. If given proper time and efforts nursery business can flourish very well and you will earn handsomely. But just as all jobs establishing it will be a bit difficult but the end results are outstanding.

    Freelance
    Freelance can be in different wings. Either you can be a freelance reporter or a freelance photographer. You can also do designing or be in the advertising field doing project on your own. Being independent and working independently will depend on your field of work and the availability of its worth in the market. If you like doing jewellery designing you can do that at home totally independently. You can also work on freelancing as a marketing executive working from home. Wanna know more, email us on workfromhome.otr214428@gmail.com and we will send you information on how you can actually work as a marketing freelancer.


    Internet related work
    This is a very vast field and here sky is the limit. All you need is a computer and Internet facility. Whatever field you are into work at home is perfect match in the software field. You can match your time according to your convenience and complete whatever projects you get. To learn more about how to work from home, contact us today on workfromhome.otr214428@gmail.com and our team will get you started on some excellent work from home projects.


    Diet food
    Since now a days Women & Men are more conscious of the food that they eat hence they prefer to have homemade low cal food and if you can start supplying low cal food to various offices then it will be a very good source of income and not too much of efforts. You can hire a few ladies who will help you out and this can be a good business.

    Thus think over this concept and go ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I thought haven’t read such distinctive material anywhere else on-line.elder law attorney northern virginia

    ReplyDelete
  15. Eric Deters let so many people down and dropped them like a rock off of a bridge. No care. He was a good lawyer at one point in his life and unfortunately he leaves no legacy. Sad. How his Father goes along with this and supports the office is unreal. Our case was passed to different lawyers with absolutely no awareness of facts. Then we were just told sorry can't help u anymore after 3 yrs. Took the money and easily walked. No concern, nor regret and never bothered to let us know. The Bar should shut him and his office down. If he can't finish or have someone else hired to wrap up the 1000's of cases left holding a bag then they should ban him from law completely. He could make this right and save face, but that's not his intentions sadly. I hope for all the cases open and not finished he realizes helping people is the right thing to do even if it costs u a few dollars. Life is full of obstacles, doesn't mean we get to just drive around them, cause in the end we answer for it all.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Funny, misspelled words and an accusation that WLW radio claims to have been a 500,000 watt station. During WWII a huge water cooled transmitter was built in Mason Ohio and they did in fact power up and 700 WLW could be heard coast to coast, this was going to ensure that war news would reach the entire country. The war was winding down and it was never used again, but has been maintained and still exists. Those are just a couple, try fact checking.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Eric Deters has been informed of these blog postings and will be filing multiple libel lawsuits against each of you. Better lawyer up - and soon.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I've had the Deter law firm under retainer for three or four years now and I'm my opinion is they need to give Eric his license back and for all of the Anonymous writers on here what you can only hate anonymously that right there tells me that in my opinion are all scared and full of bullshit. Eric Deters is one of the best lawyers I have ever had! I am one of 528 people that certain hospitals in Cincinnati I won't name oh yeah well there's no gag order like Children's Hospital UC West Chester and others that let a person and it said he was a doctor and was in and let him do surgery on people until he made them enough money or they found out it was a doctor then they just said go away quietly we won't say nothing else and I got into another hospital in cut off more people then when he did get busted by Eric deters who gave the FBI all their information that I had on me and got the government 4.1 million back for Medicare and Medicaid fraud this Dr and Hospital Maine look it up its record better he fled the country back to Pakistan but yet the rest of us he cut off and I don't want from it already and I'm going to die again because of a chemical you put in my back are still with Eric deters and still fighting and the other side is playing too many damn games to keep it from going to court because they know they're going to lose their rear ends off they offered 80 million to try and get us to settle and we all said no because we have to try and live with server pain no quality of life not being able to ever can you say ever work or have a life again I mean I can barley walk I can't tell when I have to go to the bathroom content pain I haven't been able to make love to my wife since the surgery that I didn't need then it took Eric to find out I have a death sentence on my life because of a chemical the so called dr. Put in my back with out my knowledge called bmp-2. Which means I not only died once because of this person an his unnecessary back surgery and the iffention I was infected with because of the bad back surgery that I flatlined over and a good hospital they bring me back but now I'm going to die a second time because of that crappy put in my back all the nerve damage I have and what he do he fled the package they had to keep from being prosecuted so I'm very happy that I have my lawyer Eric deters well he's a lawyer's help her now because of Kentucky is being sued and he want his suit they have to give him his license back and I can't wait but that's why you are not on a staple in my opinion if you all had a pair at all or any morals or anything you wouldn't want Anonymous you to post your damn name so we can get everyone of you and to your face and tell you you're full of shit like I am now that's my opinion have a beautiful day

    ReplyDelete
  19. All the Mueller are behind Eric deters. The Bulldog won't let go until he has w o n. And I mean all the Mueller.

    ReplyDelete