Bennett, who is based in Cincinnati but also practices in Butler County courts, was suspended for four violations of the rules governing Ohio attorneys’ conduct, according to a press release.
In Butler County, Bennett has represented former restaurant owner Liz Rogers, two women involved in a melee at a Fairfield pool, and a man involved in a fatal shooting in West Chester Twp.
When contacted by the Journal-News, Bennett referred to a statement posted on his Facebook page.
The suspension follows claims of misconduct in John Kelley's appellate case. Bennett misrepresented why he failed to meet the deadline to appeal his client’s 25-year prison sentence.
In 2014, Kelley was convicted of attempted murder and felonious assault for a 2013 double shooting in Sharonville.
The Kelleys accused Bennett of not properly discussing what he was doing and missing a deadline to file a direct appeal for them.
Bennett told a panel in November that he's not familiar with appellate matters, even though he was representing Kelley in an appellate case. He called the case "the only time I've ever failed a client."
The suspension is Bennett's third in a decade, according to the Ohio Supreme Court website.
Bennett was indefinitely suspended in 2010 based on a 2007 federal conviction for which he received a two-year prison sentence.
This article contains reporting by Journal-News media partner WCPO.
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