Patent Lawyer Loses Bid to Cut 5-Year Suspension

(CN) - A federal judge decline to reverse the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's decision to bar a lawyer from practicing before it for five years.

John Halvonik asked the federal court in Washington, D.C., to review the patents office's decision to suspend him after receiving complaints from clients.

The office had sanctioned Halvonik after it determined he commingled client and personal funds, failed to promptly refund client fees that had not been earned, and neglected to prosecute client matters in a timely manner.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly upheld the ruling, finding that Halvonik failed to prove an abuse of discretion.

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