Ohio Supreme Court disbars attorney for raping a child

The Ohio Supreme Court permanently disbarred an attorney for repeatedly raping a child, though she served time in prison on a lesser charge.

Amber R. Goodman of Elida in Allen County pleaded guilty 2022 for unlawful sexual contact with a minor, a third-degree felony. She served eight months in prison and is now on supervised release.

Goodman and her boyfriend repeatedly had sex with the man's 13-year-old daughter. Goodman told the teen not to tell anyone about the episodes.

Goodman moved in with the child's father soon after meeting him in 2018. Goodman started engaging in sexual conduct with the child that summer and maintained a relationship with the girl's father for two years after the girl reported the abuse.

“At her disciplinary hearing, Goodman portrayed herself as the victim of manipulation and lies but she failed to explain how that could possibly cause her to molest a child,” the opinion stated.

The Board of Professional Conduct recommended a lesser discipline for Goodman, based on her conviction on a lesser crime. But justices determined that her conduct with the child was "tantamount to rape" and disbarment would be the appropriate discipline.

Justice Michael Donnelly noted in a concurring opinion that a practice of allowing defendants to plead to lesser charges, rather than go to trial, masks what real criminal conduct in cases.

Prosecutors could have charged Goodman with rape, a crime that carries an element of force, but opted to let her plead guilty to a charge that criminalizes sexual conduct between an adult and a teen between 13 and 16 years old.

In 2016, the Ohio Supreme Court rejected a proposed rule that would have mandated felony charges in plea bargains to be based on the facts of the defendant's conduct.

“As a result, Goodman managed to plead guilty to a crime that does not come close to accounting for the vile acts she committed. And her plea, in turn, hindered the board’s ability to properly assess the severity of her misconduct and to recommend the appropriate disciplinary action,” Donnelly said in his concurring opinion.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Supreme Court disbars attorney for child rape