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According to the California State Auditor, “The State Bar closed multiple complaints that were made against an attorney over the course of about 18 months, each alleging that the attorney had failed to pay clients their settlement funds. Generally, the State Bar closed each complaint after the attorney finally paid the client, noting either that the matter was resolved between the attorneys and the complainant after the client withdrew their complaint or that there was insufficient evidence to support that the attorney’s misconduct warranted discipline. A pattern was discernible from five complaints the State Bar received within one year alleging that the attorney’s clients were not receiving settlement payments. However, the State Bar did not identify the need to examine the attorney’s bank records until it had received more than 10 complaints over two years. It did not examine the records for another six months, during which time the State Bar continued to receive similar complaints.  When the State Bar finally examined the client trust account, it found that the attorney had misappropriated nearly $41,000 in total from several clients. The State Bar ultimately filed charges against the attorney stemming from these more recent complaints. After the State Bar questioned the attorney about discrepancies in the client trust account, the attorney admitted to using client funds for personal reasons.”