12 Apr 2013 at 1:22 PM

Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Legal Ethics, Sexual Harassment

Attorney Accused of Groping Client’s Mother

By Joe Patrice

Here’s an idea for an Ethics CLE — tell lawyers they can’t whip out “The Gavel” in front of their clients.
Or in this case, their clients’ mothers.
Now an attorney is facing criminal charges for gross sexual imposition for allegedly exposing himself and fondling a client’s mother. “Gross” is used in the sense of “flagrant,” but the whole story fits the other definition as well….

The attorney involved is Javier Armengau, and the police say he got a little grabby with his client’s family:

A prominent criminal defense lawyer in Columbus, Ohio, has been accused of exposing himself and fondling a client’s mother during a meeting in his office.
Lawyer Javier Armengau is free on bond on a charge of felony gross sexual imposition, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Armengau told 10TV that his accuser is “absolutely” lying, “without question.”
“This happened at 4 o’clock in the afternoon in my office with an open door,” said Armengau.
The woman making the accusations told the Dispatch she fled from Armengau’s office during the April 4 incident, but the lawyer nonetheless called her the next day and asked her to dinner. The woman said she recorded the conversation in which Armengau said she was a “hot mom” and he was just trying to relieve her stress.

So Armengau was representing Stifler? “Just trying to relieve her stress” is a bold excuse to offer. For that matter, if this story is true, you have to respect Armengau’s all-around gumption — after making someone flee your office, it takes some chutzpah to think, “Maybe she’s open to dinner?”
It turns out the woman agreed to the date, but only after getting a wire from the police to record the proceedings. When you think about it, wearing a wire is a questionable tactic when trying to surveil a groper, but I digress.
Police claim Armengau made “incriminating statements” during the date and arrested him. Now two more women have come forward with similar allegations.
Facing sexual misconduct charges from three accusers is a pretty nerve-racking event, so if you run into Armengau, be sure to grab his ass to help relieve his stress.
Lawyer Is Charged in Alleged Office Groping Incident; Will Tapes Support Prosecution? [ABA Journal]

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• Tags: Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Javier Armengau, Legal Ethics, Ohio, Sexual Harassment

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