COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Supreme Court of Ohio suspended a Boardman attorney for six months following an investigation that determined he lied to a judge and drafted a legal agreement intended to stop a domestic violence victim from cooperating with prosecutors.

In a unanimous opinion, the court ordered the suspension of Gregg August Rossi, who has been a lawyer since 1990. In addition to the suspension, Rossi must complete six hours of education focused on ethics and the rights of crime victims before he can be reinstated.

The disciplinary action stems from Rossi’s representation of Dr. John Yerkey, a local chiropractor. Rossi and Yerkey had known each other for more than 20 years, maintaining a close relationship that included Rossi serving as Yerkey’s landlord and lawyer. In December 2021, authorities arrested Yerkey and charged him with assaulting a pharmacist he had been dating.

Following the arrest, a judge released Yerkey on bond with a specific requirement that he have no contact with the victim. Despite this court order, the couple continued to communicate. While Rossi reminded his client via text message not to violate the order, he also offered conflicting advice.

"Obviously if you are on good terms that will help you in the long run but your call," Rossi wrote in a text message to Yerkey. The court found that this behavior implicitly encouraged the client to violate the judge’s order.

Yerkey eventually asked Rossi to create a nondisclosure agreement to prevent the assault case from moving forward. Rossi drafted a document titled "Mutual Release, Settlement Agreement, and Non-Disclosure Agreement". This contract required the victim to ask prosecutors to dismiss the charges against Yerkey. It also stated that neither party could share personal information, texts, or photos created since they started dating. The agreement included a penalty clause stating that anyone who shared such information would have to pay $1,000 per violation.

The victim testified that she felt pressured to sign the document because she believed Yerkey implied he would share private photos of her with her employer if she refused. She stopped cooperating with prosecutors after signing the agreement because she believed the contract legally prevented her from testifying.

When prosecutors noticed the victim had stopped communicating, they asked the trial court to review the agreement. In a written objection filed with the court, Rossi stated that he had negotiated the terms of the agreement directly with the victim. Disciplinary investigators determined this was a lie. Rossi had never spoken to the victim until she arrived at his office to sign the paper. By claiming he handled the negotiations, Rossi concealed the fact that Yerkey had been talking to the victim in violation of his bond conditions.

The trial judge testified that if she had known Yerkey was contacting the victim, she would have considered sending him back to jail. Upon reviewing the agreement, the judge removed herself from the case and filed a grievance against Rossi. Yerkey was eventually convicted of assault and sentenced to 180 days in jail.

Rossi argued that a public reprimand would be a sufficient punishment, citing his lack of prior discipline and letters of support from judges and other attorneys. However, the Supreme Court rejected the request. The opinion stated that the agreement Rossi drafted was void because it violated public policy by attempting to suppress a criminal prosecution.

"We find that an actual license suspension is necessary both to protect the public and to impart on Rossi the full extent of the wrongfulness of his misconduct," the court wrote in its opinion.