The law license of a Bellwood personal injury attorney has been suspended for a year.

Perry L. Flaugh, whose office is at 435 Main St., Bellwood, was disciplined by the State Supreme Court on Friday over how he handled a personal injury case for his clients, including the disbursement of their settlement money.

According to the order handed down on Friday, Flaugh represented a woman and her parents who were involved in an automobile crash in Cambria County in October 2005. After he and his clients agreed to the terms of his representation, Flaugh violated the rules of professional conduct in a number of ways, including failing to fully disburse money to his clients, ignoring their correspondence and attempts to reach him over a four-year period and not providing a proper accounting of the settlement to them.

The court found Flaugh showed lack of diligence and communication over a span of eight years with the woman, whom he ultimately abandoned as a client. He also mishandled $1,000 of the funds he was entrusted, the order noted.

The court found Flaugh appeared to be overwhelmed and inept but was not malicious in his actions.

The conclusion of the court was that Flaugh violated a dozen rules of conduct, including failing to diligently and promptly represent his client, inform his client of the status of the case, hold funds and property of client separate from his own property and engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation.

Flaugh never answered the complaint against him, the court noted.