Kerns Loses Law License

Former Montgomery County Republican Committee Chairman Robert Kerns will lose his law license, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Board has voted.

The Disciplinary Board on Friday voted to temporarily suspend Kerns’ law license, The Philadelphia Inquirer said.

Kerns in November pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor indecent assault charge.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Kerns will serve two years of probation and must register as a sex offender for 15 years, CBS reported at the time. He will serve no prison time.

Kerns had faced three counts of indecent assault, two counts of aggravated indecent assault, one count of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of simple assault, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said.

Kerns, 67, of North Wales, had been accused of the rape and sexual assault of a paralegal who worked at his law firm.

Charges against Kerns were dropped in March after Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman said lab results had been misread.

At issue was the misinterpretation of a piece of evidence, and the fact that the misinterpretation was presented to a Grand Jury. “The Grand Jury relied upon that inaccurate evidence to make its charging recommendations,” the District Attorney’s Office said.

Members of the Grand Jury were told that the drug zolpidem, or Ambien, was found in the complainant’s system, when in fact no trace of the drug was found, the District Attorney’s Office said. The Grand Jury apparently gave significant weight to that incorrect evidence when deciding whether to hand down indictments.

“While the admission of inaccurate information to the Grand Jury was unintentional, it regretfully happened. Upon discovering the issue, my office immediately took steps to investigate, acknowledge and take corrective actions in the matter,” Ferman said at the time. In dropping the charges, Ferman referred the case to Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

Kane refiled charges in April.

Kerns in November 2013 was charged with 19 felony and misdemeanor criminal counts. He resigned his party chairmanship on Nov. 14, 2013.

The complainant was an employee at Kerns’ Upper Gwynedd law firm, Patch reported in November 2013.

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