A disbarred Fort Lauderdale lawyer was arrested in Broward County after investigators accused him of misappropriating more than $100,000 from clients.
Todd J. Herman, 42, was booked Tuesday at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale and appeared in bond court Wednesday morning, according to Local 10.
A Broward Sheriff’s Office detective’s warrant request alleges Herman misappropriated client money from 2022 to 2025. Local 10 reported that the accusations involve settlement funds connected to his former personal injury practice.
By the time deputies arrested him, Local 10 reported that he had not been eligible to practice law in Florida for about nine months.
Clients Said Settlement Money Was Withheld
Herman was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2010 and later worked as a personal injury attorney based in Fort Lauderdale.
According to Local 10, a few former clients accused Herman in civil court in Miami-Dade and Broward counties of withholding settlement funds. Those accusations came before his arrest and were tied to disputes over money clients said should have been paid out from resolved cases.
The warrant request cited by the station alleges more than $100,000 was misappropriated over several years. Local 10 did not list every client, settlement, or transaction included in the warrant request.
The Florida Bar Suspended and Then Disbarred Him
The Florida Bar temporarily suspended Herman on Oct. 6, 2023, and again on July 29, 2024, before disbarring him on Sept. 25, 2025, according to Local 10 and Florida Bar records cited by the station.
Florida Bar profile records listed Herman as disbarred and not eligible to practice law. By the time deputies arrested him, Local 10 reported that he had not been eligible to practice law in Florida for about nine months.
The disciplinary history is separate from the criminal case. Herman had already been removed from practice before the Broward arrest tied to the alleged client-fund scheme.
Herman Faces Fraud and Money Laundering Charges
Local 10 reported that Herman appeared in bond court Wednesday morning on charges of obtaining property by fraud, money laundering, a financial structure violation, and misapplication of an insurance premium.
His bond was set at $200,000. The report did not state whether Herman had entered a plea or whether an attorney had commented on his behalf.
The case now moves through Broward court, where prosecutors would have to prove the allegations tied to the missing client funds, the alleged money movement, and the insurance-premium charge.
Clients Can Check Lawyer Status and Settlement Records
Clients waiting on settlement money can check whether a lawyer is eligible to practice through The Florida Bar’s public lawyer directory and ask for a written accounting of settlement funds, deductions, liens, fees, and disbursements.
If settlement money is missing, delayed, or not explained, clients should preserve the fee agreement, settlement statement, checks, emails, text messages, court filings, insurance correspondence, and bank records tied to the case.
The Florida Bar says lawyer complaints can be filed through its Attorney Consumer Assistance Program. Clients who suffered a loss because of dishonest conduct by a Florida lawyer can also review The Florida Bar’s Clients’ Security Fund, which considers certain reimbursement claims after a lawyer disciplinary case.
Suspected theft or fraud involving client funds should also be reported to local law enforcement, especially when the money came from an insurance settlement, court recovery, or trust account.