The state Supreme Court disciplined 10 South Florida attorneys, including a few accused of misappropriating client and firm funds, the Florida Bar announced Tuesday.

Alfredo Duran of Miami was granted a disciplinary revocation, which amounts to disbarment, after he was accused of taking client trust account money. Duran, 81, just marked his 50th anniversary as a Florida Bar member. Public records did not provide further detail.

Gary Kovacs of Boca Raton also had his law license revoked after the Florida Bar investigated him for allegedly stealing firm funds from a former employer. The Kovacs & Baxley attorney allegedly diverted more than $184,000 in fees paid by a client of his former firm, Frank, Weinberg & Black, according to court records. A resulting lawsuit settled, and a Boca Raton police investigation was still open when Kovacs agreed to be disbarred.

Robert Ratiner of Miami Lakes was disbarred after years of disruptive behavior in court. As previously reported, it was the third time the plaintiffs attorney was disciplined for his conduct in litigation with chemical manufacturer DuPont. One of his outbursts was so severe, it caused the court reporter to yell, “I can't work like this!” according to court records.

Steven Slootsky of Boca Raton, one of the attorneys arrested in connection with an auto insurance fraud, was granted a disciplinary revocation. He pleaded guilty to 15 felony counts and will spend up to five years in prison and pay more than $170,200 in restitution.

Suspensions and Public Reprimands

Gerald Adams of Fort Lauderdale was suspended for three months starting in January after failing to diligently represent two clients. According to the bar, “He required one client to sign two separate fee agreements; he had memory lapses at trials; made misrepresentations to The Florida Bar, he commingled personal funds with trust funds, and he failed to appear for a hearing.”

Orlando Delgado of Miami was suspended until further notice after failing to respond to bar inquiries.

Brett Elam of West Palm Beach was suspended until further notice after the bar alleged he misappropriated more than $34,000 in client trust funds, violated multiple court orders and lied to a creditor and a bankruptcy court.

Rene Garcia Jr. of South Miami was suspended until further notice, also after an accusation that he was misappropriating client trust funds.

Stewart Merkin of Miami was suspended until further notice after he was charged with violating federal securities laws. According to the Florida Bar, he knowingly made false statements about the status of a company he was representing.

Melissa Heaton of Cooper City will be publicly reprimanded because she did not meet the deadline to tell her clients, opposing counsel and judges she was suspended.