Relapse Under Probation Leads to 4-Year Suspension
Pennsylvania attorney Timothy Tomasic's relapse harmed clients, showing how monitoring can fail when substance use returns.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Substance Abuse
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court Disciplinary Board suspended Pittsburgh-area attorney Timothy Tomasic, 50, for four years after his substance abuse relapse led to failures in representing clients. The suspension is retroactive to March 2023 and runs through March 17, 2027, and Tomasic has consented to it.
Why it matters
The case shows how a relapse in recovery can directly harm the people who depend on a professional, and how probation terms requiring sobriety monitoring were not enough to prevent it. For Pennsylvanians living with substance use disorder, it underscores that recovery support is a health issue with real-world consequences for others.
The finding rests on a state disciplinary board record documenting a relapse in January 2023, a self-reported methamphetamine injection admitted to a client on April 12, 2023, and a missed court appearance. The board concluded the relapse drove the representation failures, and Tomasic consented to the suspension.
The players
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Disciplinary Board
The Pennsylvania body that investigates and disciplines attorneys, including suspensions that protect clients and the public.
Timothy Tomasic
A Pennsylvania attorney admitted to the state bar in 2007 who was suspended for four years after a substance abuse relapse.
The details
Tomasic was placed on probation in August 2022, with terms requiring him to abstain from alcohol and drugs and to work with a sobriety monitor. He relapsed in January 2023, and within a few months failed to appropriately represent at least two Allegheny County clients, including one homicide case for which a client had paid $10,000. Probation conditions like these are designed to catch and interrupt relapse early, but the board's finding ties the client harm directly to the return to drug use.
Timeline
August 2022: The disciplinary board placed Tomasic on probation.
January 2023: Tomasic relapsed.
March 2023: The four-year suspension start date, applied retroactively.
April 12, 2023: Tomasic admitted to a client that he had injected methamphetamine that day.
March 17, 2027: The suspension is scheduled to end.
Health Landscape
Pennsylvania's disciplinary system pairs probation with sobriety monitoring for attorneys whose substance use affects their work, rather than only removing them from practice. This case shows the limits of that model when relapse occurs, and it adds a real-world example to ongoing debates about how professional regulators should treat addiction as a health condition.
If you or someone you know is in recovery, a relapse can happen even under strict monitoring, so it is worth raising a plan for relapse prevention with a clinician or counselor. Anyone managing substance use while working in a high-responsibility job may benefit from discussing support options with a doctor or addiction specialist.
The takeaway
Relapse in recovery can have consequences that reach beyond the person using, and monitoring works best alongside ongoing treatment. If substance use is affecting your work or relationships, a conversation with a physician or addiction counselor is a practical first step.
What happens next
The pending DUI case against Tomasic is scheduled for a guilty plea on Dec. 1.
Further reading
For more on the health side of recovery and relapse, see our Substance Abuse coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TribLIVE.
