Metro Detroit: Attorney Stripped of License Over Mishandled Settlement Funds
Gregory Rohl must pay nearly $660,000 to the family of a child killed in a 2017 school incident.
By Aever Bundji ·
The Michigan Attorney Discipline Board revoked the license of Gregory Rohl, a Metro Detroit attorney, after determining that he mismanaged funds from a wrongful death settlement. The board’s order, effective Oct. 1, mandates that Rohl pay approximately $660,000 in restitution to the affected family.
The disciplinary findings detail that Rohl used settlement money for improper purposes and failed to release funds designated for children, despite court orders. The board also cited false statements made by Rohl regarding the location of those funds. The underlying lawsuit concluded with a $2.5 million settlement following the death of 3-year-old Lilliana Kerr in 2017.
Lilliana Kerr died after a cafeteria table fell on her while attending a Head Start program at St. Albert the Great School in Dearborn Heights. Her mother, Tabatha Kerr, filed a wrongful death suit against the school, the Archdiocese of Detroit, and Wayne Metro Head Start. Kerr stated that a portion of the settlement was earmarked for Lilliana’s surviving siblings, but those funds never reached the accounts established for them.
Kerr described a multi-year struggle to secure the money and see the attorney held accountable. “I’ve been fighting for a very long time to get him disbarred,” she said. She reported that repeated attempts to contact courts and legal representatives resulted in what she characterized as evasion. “I kept on calling and calling and calling both to the courts and the lawyers and I kept getting the runaround,” Kerr said.
The disciplinary records show a history of professional issues for Rohl, who was suspended in 2016 and reprimanded in 2024. Kerr questioned his continued presence in the legal profession, stating, “I don’t understand why he was an attorney in the first place.” The disbarment marks the final step in a process that began shortly after the 2017 incident.
Kerr is currently advocating for “Lilliana’s Law,” a proposed bill aimed at raising school safety standards and increasing institutional accountability. She noted the personal toll of the legal proceedings, adding, “It all kind of messes with my head sometimes.”
Rohl did not respond to a request for comment from WXYZ 7 News before the original report was published.
Source: WXYZ Channel 7
