A Florida attorney has been suspended for a year after helping her former acquaintance obtain and file a quitclaim deed that removed the acquaintance’s son from ownership of a Cooper City home, according to court records. The son, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer and the attorney’s former boss, was restored as a co-owner after the deed was discovered to be forged.
Key takeaways
- The Florida Supreme Court imposed a one-year suspension on attorney Ashley Morin, rejecting a referee’s recommendation of 90 days.
- Morin and Suzanne Corcoran, the son’s mother, each received four years of probation in their criminal cases after pleading no contest to charges.
- The disputed deed used the son’s signature stamp, according to the referee’s report and arrest records.
How the deed was filed
Morin, 30, had worked at the Fort Lauderdale firm Shrouder, Karns & Mager until shortly before May 8, 2023. Court records say she drove Corcoran, 67, on errands and later helped obtain and print a quitclaim deed. Morin had worked on the document while at the firm, the referee’s report said.
Corcoran initially tried to record a copy at the Broward County property appraiser’s office and was told an original was required. She later returned with the original documents, which had been left in Morin’s car. The deed removed Ryan Shrouder as a co-owner and listed Corcoran as the sole owner, according to the report. It was later determined to be forged, with Shrouder’s notarized signature made using a signature stamp.
The home, purchased by Corcoran in 1994, had been placed in joint ownership with her son, with rights of survivorship. A corrective quitclaim deed was filed on June 2, 2023, after the forgery was discovered.
Morin’s account and the court’s decision
Morin acknowledged performing the physical actions described in the case but said she did not know the deed was forged and did not examine the documents left in her vehicle, the referee’s report said. She accepted responsibility for failing to be more careful and ask questions, and told the referee she had been manipulated.
The referee recommended a 90-day suspension, citing Morin’s remorse and finding no dishonest or selfish motive. The Florida Supreme Court rejected that recommendation and suspended her for one year, concluding the shorter penalty was inadequate.
Criminal cases
Corcoran pleaded no contest to charges involving filing false documents and fraudulent use of personal identification. Morin pleaded no contest to two counts of fraudulent use of personal identification and one count of forgery. Both received four-year probation terms scheduled to run through June 17, 2029.
Sources
- Florida lawyer suspended after attempted real estate fraud, Miami Herald.
- Mom tried to steal real estate from her son. A Florida attorney helped, Tampa Bay Times.