Michigan Attorney Disbarred Over Handling of Girl's Wrongful Death Settlement, Ordered to Pay Nearly $660,000

A Metro Detroit attorney who represented a family in a wrongful death case has been disbarred, and the mother of the child at the center of that case says the news has reopened old wounds.

Records from the State of Michigan Attorney Discipline Board show that Gregory Rohl was disbarred effective Oct. 1. The board's findings state that he improperly used settlement funds, did not release money set aside for children despite court orders, and later made false statements about what happened to that money. The disciplinary order also requires him to pay nearly $660,000 in restitution.

Tabatha Kerr, the mother involved in the case, said she had pushed for years to see him removed from the profession. "I've been fighting for a very long time to get him disbarred," she said.

The case stems from 2017, when 3-year-old Lilliana Kerr was killed after a cafeteria table fell on her at what was then St. Albert the Great School in Dearborn Heights. She was attending a Head Start program there. The family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against several parties, including the school, the Archdiocese of Detroit and Wayne Metro Head Start.

The suit ended in a $2.5 million settlement. According to Kerr, part of that money was meant for Lilliana's surviving siblings. "They were supposed to get theirs and they never did," she said. She said years went by without the funds appearing in accounts set up for the children.

Kerr said she repeatedly contacted both the courts and the lawyers involved and was met with evasion. "I kept on calling and calling and calling both to the courts and the lawyers and I kept getting the runaround," she said. The experience, she said, left her isolated. "I just felt like no one cared. I felt alone. I felt stupid."

Rohl's disciplinary history includes earlier action by the state. Records show he was suspended in 2016 and reprimanded in 2024. Kerr questioned how he came to practice law at all: "I don't understand why he was an attorney in the first place."

Kerr continues to advocate for "Lilliana's Law," proposed legislation intended to strengthen school safety standards and increase accountability in order to help prevent similar tragedies. She said the long ordeal has taken a toll on her. "It all kind of messes with my head sometimes," she said.

WXYZ's 7 News Detroit contacted Rohl seeking comment on the disbarment and the allegations in the disciplinary order. He had not responded by the time of the original report's publication.