Illinois Supreme Court Suspends 8 in Latest Disciplinary Filing
The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on March 20, 2025. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
Suspended
Robert Knox Adrian, Quincy
Mr. Adrian, who was licensed to practice law in 1983, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court. He served as a Circuit Judge in the 8th Judicial Circuit from 2010 until he was removed by the Illinois Courts Commission in 2024. During judicial disciplinary proceedings arising out of his entry of a not guilty verdict in a sexual assault case, he submitted false information and testified falsely before the Judicial Inquiry Board, and he testified falsely before the Illinois Courts Commission. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
Stephen Erhard Eberhardt, Tinley Park
Mr. Eberhardt, who was licensed in 1982, was suspended for five months and until he completes the ARDC Professionalism Seminar and pays monetary sanctions imposed in an underlying federal case. He engaged in conduct intended to embarrass, burden, and harass persons employed by, and affiliated with, the Village of Tinley Park by filing meritless legal claims against them, filing duplicative and voluminous lawsuits, and improperly suing defendants in their individual capacities for conduct they undertook on behalf of the Village. The suspension is effective on April 10, 2025.
Melanie Cheri'King, Flossmoor
Ms. King, who was licensed in 2005, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after five months by a two-year period of conditional probation. She filed a medical malpractice complaint on behalf of two clients in 2021 but never attempted to serve the defendants, resulting in dismissal of the case in 2023. She also failed to adequately communicate with her clients. Eventually, she offered to personally settle the matter with her clients, but she did not advise them to seek independent counsel about the settlement. The suspension is effective on April 10, 2025.
Trygve Thomas Meade, Canton
Mr. Meade, who was licensed to practice law in 2013, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court. Over the course of two years, he made false statements to courts, clients and/or opposing counsel in four client matters. He also failed to diligently pursue three client matters and did not adequately communicate with five clients. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
Brendan Michael Pierard, Crystal Lake
Mr. Pierard, who was licensed in 2016, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court, and until he completes the payment of restitution as required by a deferred prosecution agreement that he entered into with federal authorities. He engaged in multiple acts of deceit over five years and committed wire fraud in connection with a cryptocurrency scam, all while working as a prosecutor for the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
Joseph Shun Mendoza Ravago, Chicago
Mr. Ravago, who was licensed to practice law in 1998, was suspended for one year arising from his criminal conviction for unlawful use of an electronic tracking device. He had placed a series of tracking devices in or on the car of a woman with whom he was involved in a romantic relationship so that he could monitor her movements and surveil her without her knowledge. The suspension is effective on April 10, 2025.
Cierra Randazzo-Scott, St. Louis, MO
Ms. Randazzo-Scott, who has never been licensed in Illinois but was licensed to practice law in Missouri in 2021, was suspended for one year. She made false representations in 12 verified statements submitted to the ARDC seeking permission to provide legal services to clients in Illinois pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 707 (Illinois’ pro hac vice rule). She also entered her appearance as counsel and provided legal services to purported clients in eight proceedings in St. Clair County without submitting verified statements to the ARDC seeking permission to provide legal services to those individuals as required by Rule 707. The suspension is effective on April 10, 2025.
Janett S. Winter-Black, Mattoon
Ms. Winter-Black, who was licensed in 1979, was suspended for six months. She falsely told a probate court that an estate’s heir had consented to the sale of real estate when she knew the heir lacked the capacity to consent. She also failed to provide competent representation in that probate matter when she did not timely file a petition for sale of real estate and delayed filing other documents for at least five months. The suspension is effective on April 10, 2025.