John P. Fortuno of Cleveland, was publicly censured by order of the Tennessee Supreme Court on Tuesday.
On Aug. 22, 2016, the board filed a Petition for Discipline against Mr. Fortuno, an assistant public defender, alleging that he committed ethical misconduct by exchanging a series of inappropriate text messages with a client he was appointed to represent, creating a potential conflict of interest.
Mr. Fortuno entered into a conditional guilty plea admitting that his actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.7(a)(2) (Conflicts of Interest) and 8.4(a) (Misconduct), and should be publicly censured for this violation.
A public censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorney’s ability to practice law.