Rickey Brian Oxman was admitted to the California Bar 22nd December 1976, but has since been disbarred. Rickey graduated from Loyola Law School.

Lawyer Information

NameRickey Brian Oxman
First Admitted22 December 1976 (47 years, 4 months ago)
StatusDisbarred
Bar Number72172

Contact

Phone Number562-921-5058

Schools

Law SchoolLoyola Law School (Los Angeles CA)
Undergraduate SchoolUniversity of Southern Calif (Los Angeles CA)

Address

Current Address14126 Rosecrans Ave
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670-5214
Map

History

27 July 2012Disbarred (11 years, 9 months ago)
Disbarment 07-O-11968
2 February 2012Not eligible to practice law in CA (12 years, 3 months ago)
Ordered inactive 07-O-11968
10 May 2010Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 07-O-11968 (13 years, 11 months ago)
21 January 2010Discipline, probation; no actual susp. 04-O-13344 (14 years, 3 months ago)
28 February 1998Private reproval, public disclosure 96-O-06475 (26 years, 2 months ago)
28 July 1997Active (26 years, 9 months ago)
29 June 1997Not eligible to practice law in CA (26 years, 10 months ago)
Ordered inactive 96-O-06475
25 April 1997Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 96-O-06475 (27 years ago)
22 December 1976Admitted to the State Bar of California (47 years, 4 months ago)

Discipline Summaries

July 27, 2012

Brian Oxman disbarred and his wife suspended for client trust account violations

High-profile attorney RICKEY BRIAN OXMAN [#72172], who once represented pop icon Michael Jackson in his child molestation trial, was disbarred July 27. His wife and law partner, MAUREEN PATRICIA JAROSCAK [#117677], was suspended for 18 months, beginning Aug. 11.

A State Bar Court review panel found that the pair, whose law firm is in Santa Fe Springs, commingled funds in their client trust account and used the account to evade creditors. Separately, it found that Oxman failed to report a judicial sanction to the bar, as required, and Jaroscak breached her fiduciary duty to the beneficiaries of a trust. Using the client trust account to shield their personal assets from creditors was dishonest and amounts to moral turpitude, a three-judge review panel found.

The panel increased a hearing judge’s recommendation that Oxman be suspended for two years, instead recommending his disbarment due in large part to two prior disciplines on his record. “Oxman’s three disciplinary proceedings show a disturbing disregard for the administration of justice, including misrepresentations to courts and a failure to cooperate in discipline proceedings,” wrote Judge JoAnn Remke. “We find the totality of the circumstances warrants Oxman’s disbarment to protect the public, the courts and the legal profession.”

Oxman’s appeal to the state Supreme Court was denied. Oxman, 60, has made frequent television appearances as a legal expert and recently represented the 1-800-GET-THIN surgery marketing company and its affiliated Lap Band surgery centers.

Charges of mismanaging their law firm’s client trust account stemmed from the couple’s numerous deposits and withdrawals of personal funds over six months in 2008. At the time, they faced significant financial obligations, including five liens totaling more than $51,000 filed against them by the Franchise Tax Board for unpaid taxes, penalties, interest and collection fees for tax years 2005, 2006 and 2007. They also owed almost $25,000 to their lawyer for previous discipline matters.

With funds from her mother, Jaroscak opened an account that she said she operated as trustee of a family trust. The hearing judge concluded that the trust “was a sham created to hide from creditors funds given to Jaroscak by her mother,” Remke wrote. In 2008, the review panel wrote, Jaroscak deposited about $55,000 in non-client funds into the client trust account and withdrew almost the same amount for personal expenses. “She did so shortly after she and Oxman faced approximately $45,000 in potential obligations to tax authorities and a judgment creditor, and at the same time they faced future tax liability for 2006 and 2007. This evidence circumstantially shows that Oxman and Jaroscak used the CTA to shield their personal assets from creditors.”

The review court also found that Jaroscak, 61, breached her fiduciary duties as trustee of a family trust she created for two clients. She received about $597,374 to fund the trust, but a beneficiary had to hire a new lawyer to force Jaroscak to distribute the funds. Oxman took over when the beneficiary tried to have Jaroscak removed as trustee. The bar court found that she breached her fiduciary duty and, by refusing to properly disburse more than $68,000 to the beneficiaries, committed acts of moral turpitude.

Oxman’s problems were the result of a bankruptcy court sanction that began when he represented the wife in a contentious divorce. The case spawned several legal actions, including a 2002 federal civil rights case brought by Oxman, alleging the opposing lawyer had improperly influenced a witness in the divorce proceedings. In 2004, Oxman and his client were sanctioned $29,535.64 in attorney’s fees plus a $10,000 penalty payable to the court for filing a frivolous action. The sanction was to be paid within 10 days, but Oxman paid two years later. He was put on probation in 2009 as a result of the civil rights case and his failure to pay the sanction on time.

The client eventually filed for bankruptcy. Oxman was sanctioned $5,084 by the bankruptcy court for making a frivolous objection. He ultimately paid the husband $9,000 but did not report the sanction to the State Bar for five months instead of the required 30 days.

The hearing judge found that both Oxman and his wife lacked candor during the proceedings and neither cooperated with the bar’s investigation. Oxman received limited mitigation for his pro bono work for the Plotkin Bail School and various trial competitions, and Jaroscak was credited for 17 years of discipline-free practice and community work. In addition to Oxman’s 2009 discipline, he was privately reproved in 1998 for failing to perform legal services competently.

Both Oxman and Jaroscak were ordered to comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court and Jaroscak also was placed on two years of probation and was ordered to take the MPRE.

January 21, 2010

RICKEY BRIAN OXMAN [#72172], 58, of Santa Fe Springs was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on two years of probation and was ordered to take the MPRE within one year. The order took effect Jan. 21, 2010.

During a divorce case in which Oxman represented the wife, he filed a civil rights complaint against the opposing attorney and his client (the husband in the case), alleging that the lawyer threatened a witness with disciplinary action before the Board of Medical Quality Assurance, revocation of his license and harassment through the legal system. The witness, a marriage counselor, had not appeared as scheduled at trial. Oxman alleged that the husband and his lawyer conspired to deprive the wife of her equal protection rights because of her gender. He did not have any evidence to support the allegations although he believed they were true.

The doctor eventually testified at trial and denied he’d been threatened. The attorney for the husband successfully had two claims dismissed. The court permitted one claim to go forward but warned Oxman of his obligations under Rule 11 and expressed its reservations regarding his motivation for the lawsuit. Oxman’s law partner eventually filed a dismissal and the opposing lawyer was awarded sanctions totaling almost $40,000. Oxman did not pay the sanction in a timely fashion.

He stipulated that he disobeyed a court order and pursued an unjust action.

Oxman was privately reproved in 1998.