Ohio Supreme Court Suspends License Of Lawyer With History Of Public Nudity

A Hamilton attorney who was criminally charged and fired in 2006 after allegedly walking nude through city offices and charged again several times with public indecency for driving while exposing himself has been suspended indefinitely.

In an opinion released Thursday, the Ohio Supreme Court indefinitely suspended the license to practice law of Hamilton attorney Scott Blauvelt.

It adopted the findings of misconduct found last year by the Board of Professional Conduct that recommended he be indefinitely suspended from the practice of law with certain conditions on his being reinstated to the profession.

In the opinion, the court said Blauvelt, 50, is undergoing treatment for a bipolar disorder and expressed remorse for his behavior. But since the first arrest in 2018, Blauvelt has been arrested three more times for the same behavior.

The opinion said Blauvelt also admitted there were other incidents of the behavior when he did not get apprehended.

After his most recent conviction, Blauvelt has participated in the Butler County Area III Court mental-health court. In May 2021, he commenced a two-year outpatient treatment program for compulsive sexual behavior disorder, according to the opinion.

“The board noted that while Blauvelt may eventually find a way to discontinue his compulsive behavior through therapy and medication, it is evident that he has not yet achieved that goal and cannot offer any assurance that he will not engage in the same or similar conduct in the future,” the opinion stated. “After reviewing the record in this case and our precedent, we agree that an indefinite suspension is the appropriate sanction to protect the public and ensure that Blauvelt cannot resume the practice of law until he is able to conform his conduct to the ethical and professional standards incumbent on lawyers in this state.”

To be reinstated to the practice of law in Ohio, Blauvelt will have to meet several conditions, including proving that he is in full compliance with his mental-health treatment plan and orders from the Butler County Area III Court.

Blauvelt was charged with two counts of public indecency in September 2006 while he was the Hamilton City prosecutor after security cameras in the government building shared by the city and the county allegedly captured video of him walking naked on two occasions, according to Journal-News reporting.

The charges were later dismissed due to a speedy trial violation. Blauvelt was fired by the city from his job as prosecutor.

At the time, Michael Gmoser, who was not yet the Butler County prosecutor and who served as Blauvelt’s attorney, said the incidents were caused by a reaction to prescription medication Blauvelt was taking to treat a mental illness and seizure disorder he developed after a serious crash in 2005.

The Butler County Bar Association filed a complaint against Blauvelt with the Ohio Supreme Court Board of Professional Conduct in June 2021.