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David Ewing, the attorney who became a go-to historian in Nashville, should be disbarred for fraudulently charging fees and misappropriating money from a client, according to a disciplinary panel of the Board of Professional Responsibility.
In a 64-page report, the BPR found that Ewing:
- took advantage of a longtime friend to gain access to her money
- lied about the fees he was charging her and the cash he withdrew from her trust
- took out a personal loan using his client’s funds as collateral
- used the loan to pay off a line of credit on his house, which he immediately quitclaimed to his then-wife, Alice Randall
- attempted to surrender his law license to avoid any sanctions
- bounced a check to the victim and never paid the agreed-upon settlement of the case
The panel called Ewing “dishonest and self-serving” and cited his “lack of remorse for his misconduct” in recommending that he be disbarred and that more than $300,000 be returned to his client.
The case stems from a 2017 trust created for Margaret Fort, a longtime friend of Ewing’s who had reached out to him for help in the middle of a mental health crisis. Ewing, who had little experience in setting up or administering trusts, volunteered to prepare documents and serve as her trustee “for free,” according to Fort.
The $1.2 million trust had been created for less than a week when Ewing wired $270,000 into a personal account in his name at Renasant Bank and purchased a certificate of deposit, which he used as collateral for a personal loan. Within two weeks, Ewing used the loan funds to pay off the line of credit on his house on Blair Boulevard, and then he quitclaimed the property to Randall, free and clear of any debt. The couple divorced in 2019. Fort said that a majority of the trust was tied up in a home in Alabama and real estate in Nashville, properties that Ewing repeatedly failed to pay bills for out of the trust.
Throughout 2017, according to the report, Ewing removed cash from the account, which Fort said she never received, and he charged tens of thousands of dollars in “trustee fees.” In total, Ewing removed almost $150,000 from Fort’s account after purchasing the CD, mostly in small cash distributions without providing receipts or documentation for the withdrawals.
“I couldn't process the fact that somebody I thought was a friend would steal from me,” Fort tells the Banner about figuring out the scheme in 2018. “I didn't have any money. Nothing. So all my plans for my future and my children's future were completely destroyed. It was all stolen from me. I was so devastated. I couldn't breathe.”
On Aug. 7, 2019, Fort filed suit against Ewing. Within 48 hours, Ewing filed a petition to surrender his law license. In his petition, Ewing attested that he knew of no complaint filed against him, despite having been contacted by Fort’s attorney. In their conclusions, the panel says plainly that Ewing “misled” the BPR and that the board would have objected to the surrender of his license if they knew of a pending complaint.
After suing Ewing, Fort reached a settlement with him for $60,000. Ewing wrote a bad check for the debt. Fort said Ewing has paid some of the settlement in small increments but has not paid any associated late fees.
Reached for comment on Friday, Ewing said that he would appeal the ruling, and provided a statement to the Banner via text.
“I am surprised, disheartened and profoundly disappointed by this decision and strongly disagree with it,” Ewing writes. “By its own admission, the lawyer board has not previously disciplined anyone who is retired and no longer practicing law. I have not practiced law in 7 years. This matter originates from a 2019 lawsuit that was resolved without any admission of fault by either party. I will appeal this unprecedented ruling and the outcome and my status will not be final until all appeals are completed.”
Independent of any complaint, the BPR initiated an investigation in 2019, and over several years of examining the case, Ewing maintained that the board lacked jurisdiction because he had already surrendered his license.
Following a three-day hearing in September 2025, the panel began work on the report, which was issued last week. In their conclusion, the board wrote that public perception made it vital that Ewing be disbarred.
“Mr. Ewing has no disciplinary history, and anyone who searches the public records of the Board would not be aware of his egregious misconduct,” the report states. “Thus, there is nothing to prevent Mr. Ewing from using his former status to engage in this conduct in the future. Holding the position of attorney or even former attorney is a matter of pride for most individuals and projects a status of prestige with the general public. The media article 'Explore Nashville on Foot' promoting Mr. Ewing’s walking tour business makes note of his status as attorney.”
Ewing’s tour business notes his degree from Vanderbilt School of Law.
In addition to his historical work, Ewing has served in a variety of high-profile roles, including as senior vice president for government affairs for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and on numerous Metro boards, including the Board of Zoning Appeals, Historical Commission and Historic Zoning Commission.
The report identifies $344,841 in unreasonable fees and misappropriated cash withdrawals that Ewing should owe as restitution. As a practical matter, the finding of the board does not carry the same weight as a judicial finding and likely cannot be used to enforce a financial judgment on Ewing.
When asked if the board would make a criminal referral in the case, Sandy Garrett, the BPR’s executive director, declined to comment, citing Tennessee Supreme Court rules about confidentiality.
Fort says the report vindicated her years of effort trying to expose his behavior. Ewing has maintained a regular presence in Nashville media, often appearing on broadcast outlets as a historian. His “The Nashville I Wish I Knew” Facebook and Instagram accounts are popular follows on social media.
“I've been asked for years, [by] people who know me really well, and they don't understand how he was still able to be on the news to have reporters writing articles about him,” Fort says. “People just didn't understand why he wasn't in jail, and they couldn't understand how he could hold his head up and be in public on TV.”
This article first appeared on Nashville Banner and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
