SAN FRANCISCO (Northern California Record) — Long Beach attorney Gaurav D. Datta has been disbarred following a California Supreme Court decision and misappropriation allegations in a trust account matter, according to a notification recently issued by the State Bar of California.
The high court issued its disbarment order Jan. 4 and Butler's effective disbarment date was Feb. 3, according to a notification provided to the Northern California Record earlier this week.
The Supreme Court ordered Datta to pay almost $10,000 plus interest to 15 former clients, in addition to all costs in the matter.
Datta was admitted to the bar in California on April 19, 2010, according to his profile at the state bar website. Datta had no prior record of discipline before the state bar, according to the California State Bar Court's decision and order of involuntary inactive enrollment issued in September.
The decision and order included the state bar court's recommendation that Datta be disbarred by default.
In March 2018 Datta informed the state bar court, through his counsel, that he chose to default by not appearing at a hearing that month, according to the decision and order. Datta also "admitted his culpability in his response to the notice of disciplinary charges and that he understood the default would result, ultimately, in his disbarment," the decision and order said.
Datta allegedly failed to maintain balances totaling almost $98,822.77 on behalf of 15 clients and to have to have intentionally misappropriated $107,000 over multiple occasions in 2015 and 2016, according to the decision and order.
The decision and order included an involuntary inactive enrollment order that rendered Datta involuntarily enrolled as an inactive member of the state bar. That order was effective three calendar days after service, according to the recommendation.
Datta failed to participate in person or via counsel and state bar's decision and an order for disbarment was entered by default. In such cases, in which an attorney fails to participate in a State Bar of California disciplinary proceeding despite adequate notice and opportunity, the bar invokes Rule 5.85, which provides the procedure for the state bar to recommend an attorney's disbarment.