A Texas attorney who represented children in personal injury cases has pleaded guilty to using their legal awards — hundreds of thousands of dollars — for his personal use.
Court records show that John Williams Coates pleaded guilty to felony aggregated misapplication of fiduciary property under a 10-year prison deal.
Assistant prosecutor Gail Van Winkle told the Austin American-Statesman that Coates has returned the $600,000 he had withheld from the Travis County court registry and his clients.
Coates had been approved by a judge to represent minors. He was to accept awards on their behalf from insurance companies.
He was supposed to put the money into a registry, where it would remain until the child turned 18. But the money wasn’t there when some tried to retrieve it.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Why 2026 Is The Tipping Point for The Evolving Role of AI in Law and Claims 
Hackers Hit Sensitive Targets in 37 Nations in Spying Plot 
Credit Suisse Nazi Probe Reveals Fresh SS Ties, Senator Says 
Cape Cod Faces Highest Snow Risk as New Coastal Storm Forms 
Want to stay up to date?
Get the latest insurance news
sent straight to your inbox.