| ► Attorney Edward Bassetti of Saddle Brook, NJ; ethical ogre |
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Attorney Edward Bassetti of Saddle Brook, NJ; ethical ogre
The state of New Jersey presented Edward Ralph Bassetti with a law license in 1987.
The New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics found Edward guilty of the following misconduct
In one matter, Edward was employed by CCLLGG, LLC the seller of property that Ebenezer Adeyinka, Senior Pastor of the Apostolic Church offered to purchase. Pastor Adeyinka paid $91,500 to Edward which was to be held as escrow in a client trust account for the purchase of the real estate.
As the attorney for the seller/escrow agent, Edward was required to hold the $91,500 real estate deposit in escrow pending final settlement of the sale of the property. However, within days of his receipt of the $91,500 from Pastor Adeyinka, Edward disbursed the entire $91,500 to his clients CCLLLGG so that they could pay outstanding utility bills on another piece of property they owed.
When the purchase didn’t materialize, Pastor Adeyinka demanded that Edward return his $91,500 deposit. Of course Edward was unable to do so since he had already given it to his clients. Subsequently, the church was forced to sue Edward for the return of the $91,500. The lawsuit led to Edward and his malpractice carrier paying the church a total of $142,500: $110,000 for the insurer and $32,500 from Edward.
As a consequence of his misconduct, the Patron Saints for Attorney Misfits sitting on the New Jersey Supreme Court punished Edward by gifting him with a complimentary reprimand.
As we speak (ca. February 2013) Edward continues to practice in the Saddle Brook, New Jersey area.
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