By Jennifer Edwards
Enquirer staff writer

Hamilton County Treasurer Robert Goering's attorney Friday denied allegations raised this week in a suit accusing him of botching the management of a nearly $2.2 million estate.

"Mr. Goering didn't do anything wrong," said his attorney, John Hust of Symmes Township.

In a suit filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Monday, Goering, treasurer since 1991 who is up for re-election in November, is accused of ineptly managing the estate, which shrunk to a worth of just $62,000.

The suit was filed by Fort Mitchell attorney Eric Deters on behalf of Elmer Gundrum, 81, of Florence, who inherited the estate in May 2001 from his sister. The suit alleges that Goering failed to hire an investment adviser to diversify stocks and failed to file state and federal tax returns, resulting in $237,952 in penalties and interest lodged against the estate.

But Hust blames attorney Eric Minamyer, formerly of Sycamore Township, who Hust says has acknowledged the blunder and recently paid Gundrum and his attorney about $170,000.

Minamyer conceded Friday to being ultimately at fault for the late filings because his former law firm, which is now shut down, neglected to file extensions on them while he served in the U.S. Navy overseas. His insurance company has since settled with Gundrum, he said, declining to disclose the amount.

The suit also states Gundrum never received any of the money he inherited from his sister, Doris. At the time of her death in June 2000, much of her estate was in the form of stocks she owned in two Cincinnati companies, Broadwing and Convergys.

Hust also said the value of the estate was really about $1.5 million, not nearly $2.2 million, and Gundrum did get about $560,000, from the estate in the form of an IRA.

Goering also advised Gundrum on several occasions to sell some of his stock, Hust said.

"Mr. Gundrum would not give him permission to do that. He wanted to keep the Broadwing stock," Hust said.

The suit also states that Goering billed the estate $75,000 a year for managing it. Hust, however, said Goering will only be paid once for his work - and at a much lower figure, about $36,000.

Gundrum's attorney called Hust's statements "a bunch of baloney." Goering undertook the responsibility of filing all tax returns timely when he agreed to be the administrator, Deters noted.

"For him to try to blame somebody else is crazy," Deters said. "It's the worse handling of an estate I've ever seen. And the guy is the treasurer of Hamilton County.

"We don't deny my client got a $560,000 IRA, but the problem is he should have gotten over $1 million more. What they are telling you might be true, but it doesn't change the lawsuit."

E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com