Attorney Disbarred for Misuse of Oak Park Couple's Trust: Report

The Illinois Supreme Court has disbarred Kathleen Niew following allegations that she misused an Oak Park couple's $2.3 million trust, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

Along with her husband Stanley, Niew, 56, was found partially liable in February for $2.3 million in damages to the couple’s trust due to a failed real-estate investment. According to the suit, Niew persuaded them to transfer $2.3 million into trust accounts she managed before her firm removed the money and used those funds for their own benefit.

Niew also had her license to sell insurance revoked in February; the Chicago Tribune discovered lawsuits that "allege she improperly took hundreds of thousands of dollars from other clients and failed to disclose insurance commissions." The newspaper also discovered a $43,500 settlement paid by Niew after a bankruptcy official alleged she attempted to "hinder, delay or defraud" a client's creditors. 

Read the full Chicago Tribune report here.