Thirty-five wards swindled by a deceased Columbus attorney serving as their guardian will receive $201,910.49 collectively following a vote today by the Board of Commissioners of the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection that the claims were eligible for reimbursement.

The Ohio Supreme Court accepted Paul S. Kormanik’s resignation, with disciplinary action pending, in 2015. He pleaded guilty earlier that year in Franklin County Common Pleas Court after being indicted for five counts of tampering with records, four counts of theft from an elderly or disabled person, and one count of theft. Kormanik died in 2015.

“These situations can chip away at the public’s faith in the fiduciary responsibilities that wards entrust to their guardians, some of whom are attorneys,” said Janet Green Marbley, administrator of the fund. “It’s important for the public to understand that the fund can help rebuild that trust by reimbursing wards affected by the dishonest conduct of an attorney.”

At the fund’s December quarterly meeting, two previous claims brought by Kormanik wards were reimbursed a total of $28,057.11 by the board.

Financed primarily by registration fees paid by every Ohio attorney, the fund was created by the Supreme Court in 1985. Ohio has more than 44,000 active-status attorneys with only a fraction involved in claims. Clients who believe they have sustained financial losses resulting from attorney theft, embezzlement, or misappropriation should contact the fund at 1.800.231.1680.