Lawyer who sued Led Zeppelin suspended from practicing law

Well, this is an interesting turn of events.

Francis Malofiy, the lawyer who represented the songwriter for the band Spirit but still failed to persuade an LA court that Led Zeppelin stole the introduction of “Stairway to Heaven,” has been suspended from practicing law in Pennsylvania. He was cited for serious misconduct and violating rules of professional conduct during a previous case. Malofiy was accused of violating “various rules of conduct” during a copyright infringement lawsuit over Usher’s song “Bad Girl,” and in 2015, a three-judge district court panel found that the lawyer tricked unrepresented co-defendant William Guice into signing an affidavit without consulting a lawyer by hiding that their relationship was adversarial in nature.

Malofiy had argued that he didn’t break the rules and, even if he did, the punishment was too harsh. Apparently the district court was troubled by Malofiy’s failure to take responsibility for his actions and his other unprofessional and uncivil conduct during the course of the litigation. Last week, the appellate panel agreed and upheld the suspension.

It sounds like actions like these are Malofiy’s modus operandi: during the Led Zeppelin trial, he received over one hundred sustained objections and “multiple admonishments” from the judge. So there you go.