She Was a Respected Lawyer — Until Her Alleged Role in Baby-Adoption Scheme Was Revealed

A Honolulu attorney was being investigated on accusations of bringing pregnant women to Hawaii as part of an alleged adoption scheme. The proceedings were halted after the attorney’s status as a lawyer was rendered inactive due to an unspecified illness. 

Last month, the Hawaii Supreme Court put Laurie Loomis on inactive status “due to incapacity,” according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. 

The court cited a Supreme Court rule requiring the suspension of any attorney facing disciplinary proceedings who is suffering from a mental or physical illness, or because of the use of drugs or an intoxicant, and is unable to adequately practice law. 

Loomis, through her attorneys, did not oppose the court’s order to transfer her to inactive status, according to a statement of no opposition sent to the U.S. District Court in Hawaii. 

Loomis had previously faced disciplinary measures after an investigation by Hawaii’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel — the state’s lawyer oversight agency — alleged she violated 20 professional conduct rules. 

The petition, which was obtained by PEOPLE, alleged she was involved in a scheme to fly pregnant women from the Marshall Islands — a remote Pacific island nation — to Hawaii to give birth and place their children for adoption.

The petition further alleged that Loomis paid mothers from the Marshall Islands for their babies, paid a handler to assist the women upon arrival in Hawaii — all while taking a large cut of the money herself.

Loomis would allegedly charge $53,422 for each adoption, according to the petition — $20,000 of which would go to herself and legal fees and another $6,500 of which went to her alleged handler.

The petition further alleged that Loomis typically paid the birth mothers $8,500 to reimburse living expenses. During the time period in question, Loomis allegedly paid her law office $944,125 in retainers and cost reimbursement, according to the petition.

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The petition accuses Loomis of violating numerous provisions of the Hawaii Rules of Professional Conduct, including a rule that states a lawyer should not charge an unreasonable amount for expenses and another that states it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct which involves dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation. 

An investigation published by the Honolulu Civil Beat first reported on Loomis’ alleged adoption business, which led the Office of Disciplinary Counsel to look into the scheme. 

According to the Civil Beat, people in the Marshall Islands have a tradition of informal child-sharing, where children may live with relatives or friends temporarily before returning to their birth parents. Many of the mothers involved in the adoption scheme allegedly didn’t understand the permanent nature of a U.S. adoption until it was too late.

The Hawaii Supreme Court has temporarily paused any proceedings involved with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel petition while Loomis is on inactive status, but cited a rule that mentions they can continue to proceed with the investigation against her. 

Loomis’ attorney did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.