Stanley M. Chesley

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.

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."

In May 2008, President George W. Bush appointed Chesley to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel.

Chesley, the son of Jewish Ukrainian immigrants, graduated from Walnut Hills High School, the University of Cincinnati and University of Cincinnati Law School. He first came to fame as a plaintiffs' lawyer in litigation arising from the 1977 Beverly Hills Supper Club fire, which killed 165 people (and two unborn infants). Rather than merely sue the nightclub, Chesley sued the entire aluminum electrical wire industry, blaming them for the fire. The aggressive and unprecedented tactic of seeking enterprise liability for an entire industry worked, winning $49 million in verdicts and settlements. Individual defendants settled for about a million dollars in the face of Chesley waving gruesome photos of fire victims rather than risk going to trial and losing much more, though those who did defend themselves often won.

Stanley M. Chesley (born March 26, 1936) is a disbarred Ohio trial lawyer. He is the husband of federal judge Susan J. Dlott.