aware that the attorneys were deceiving their clients and that he therefore owed no duty to the 440 plaintiffs Disbarment and retirement On February 22, 2011, Kentucky trial commissioner William L. Graham issued an order recommending Chesley be disbarred for his actions. The Kentucky Bar Association's board of governors accepted a trial commissioner's recommendation on June 14, which called for disbarment and restitution of $7.6 million to plaintiffs. It was determined that Chesley violated several ethic rules, namely, "charging unreasonable fees; failing to document his contingency fee arrangement in writing; improperly dividing legal fees with attorneys from different firms; ratifying the misconduct of his co-counsel; representing clients with conflicting interests; making false statements to courts; making false statements in disciplinary proceedings; and general deceit in the distribution of client funds." In the course of seeking to evade judgments against him, Chesley made several below-market transactions to his wife—acts the 6th Circuit described as "red flags." The Kentucky Supreme Court disbarred Chesley on March 21, 2013, unanimously voting to uphold the 2011 recommendation. Chesley faced disbarment in Ohio due to reciprocal agreements between the two states, but he opted to voluntarily retire from the practice of law in Ohio instead of go through the state's disciplinary process. The practical effect of his retirement in Ohio is the same as if he had been disbarred – Chesley will never be able to practice law in the state again. On November 18, 2013, Chesley was removed from the list of attorneys allowed to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court. Continuing litigation of client funds As of 2017, Chesley was still allegedly trying to shield assets from former clients. In 2013, Chesley transferred $59 million in personal assets to his law firm, and then ostensibly gave up his ownership in the former firm, transfering his shares to a trust overseen by friend and employee Thomas Rehme. U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland oversaw a fraudulent conveyance case brought by former clients, preventing the disposition of Waite Schneider assets. In particular, the judge barred Chesley from receiving any money from the firm. In Kentucky, Boone County Circuit Court Judge James Schrand ordered Chesley in 2015 to transfer his interest in Waite Schneider to former fen-phen clients. Chesley's efforts to block this action through the Ohio courts was stopped by the Supreme Court of Ohio, which stated that Chesley and his former firm were serial abusers