Brian Manookian Loses Bid to Reinstate Law License

the emails weren’t meant to be threatening. It also noted Manookian has been called out for unacceptable behavior multiple times in the past, but it hasn’t deterred him from behaving badly.

Its ruling states in part: “It is Mr. Manookian’s position that speech alone, even rude and insulting speech, cannot present a substantial threat of harm to the public. This position is wrong, particularly with regard to an attorney’s speech. [His] words … go beyond merely rude and insulting and cross the line into threatening and intimidating.

“The practice of law, by its nature, involves conflict and contention. That is why the Rules of Professional Conduct for practitioners of the law require that an attorney’s conduct be circumscribed within the boundaries of civility, decorum, and respect for both the process and the person. Keeping within the boundaries of professional conduct is critical for the proper functioning of the judicial system.”

On Nov. 21, the Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the panel’s ruling.

Manookian was ordered to stop representing all existing clients within 10 days of the court’s decision, inform all clients, co-counsel and opposing counsel in pending matters of his suspension and give clients any property or papers to which they are entitled.

Manookian first made headlines in the jewelry industry in 2014 when he sued Nashville jeweler Genesis Diamonds on behalf of multiple consumers who were sold diamonds overgraded by EGL International.

Later that year, he told National Jeweler that a “major national [law] firm” would be filing a class-action lawsuit within 60 days against EGL International as well as “major retailers” in the U.S. for selling overgraded diamonds.

The class action suits never materialized, but Manookian, along with other attorneys, launched public campaigns to find plaintiffs to file suits against five independent jewelers.

The campaigns involved physical fliers and online ads calling the retailers in question “a scam” and asking consumers if they were sold a “fraudulent ring.”

Though many in the industry acknowledged the need to confront the issue of diamond overgrading, Manookian’s plaintiff-attracting tactics were met with disdain and one retailer, the now-closed Diamond Doctor in Dallas, fired back.

It sued Manookian, his Nashville law partner Brian Cummings and their firm, Cummings Manookian, in a Texas federal court for violations of the RICO Act, business disparagement and injury to business reputation.

The lawsuit alleged that the public campaigns—purportedly launched in the interest of finding consumers who had been sold overgraded diamonds and helping them to right that wrong—were nothing more than a “cunning shakedown operation” to extort money from the jewelers.

The case was settled out of court in August 2017.

All calls placed to Manookian’s Nashville office Wednesday and Thursday went straight to voicemail. He did not respond to voicemail messages or email requests for comment.

An email sent to Cummings generated an automated response that indicated he has started his own firm, Cummings Law. He did not respond to inquiries about his former partner.