Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission involved in jet ski lawsuit filed by Attorney General Rokita, Rokita sues in response

Jess Sampson, the man Todd Rokita is suing, filed a grievance with his lawyer to the state Disciplinary Commission in December after the lawsuit was filed against him because he feels Rokita should not be able to sue him over a personal dispute through his government-funded office.

Now, Rokita's response to the commission asking him for a written response to the grievance is another lawsuit.

"I was excited, I'm happy," says Jess Sampson, a Fulton County resident who is being sued by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita's office. "I want it to be in somebody's hands that will actually do something about it."

Sampson says he feels a newfound sense of hope in his case against the top legal officer in the Hoosier state.

It all stems from Rokita buying a used jet ski from Sampson more than a year ago and claiming he got ripped off.

Though Sampson tells ABC57, Rokita repeatedly flooded the engine and did not follow instructions on how to properly break it in.

Sampson's biggest issue with the suit is that Rokita is suing on behalf of the state of Indiana for a personal dispute, using taxpayer dollars.

"I could understand if the guy wanted to try to sue somebody, doing it out of his own pocket, and doing it on his own time would be own thing but using the State of Indiana is not a good thing," says Sampson.

The Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission sent a letter to Rokita on July 29th asking for a written response to the grievance.

It says if Rokita doesn't respond, his law license could be at risk.

Rokita's response to that was to file a federal suit against all members and the executive director of the commission.

"It shows his guilt," believes Sampson. "Costing the State of Indiana millions of dollars to fight for his law license, nobody in the State of Indiana should have to pay for that, not even me."

In a press alert Friday announcing this new lawsuit, Rokita argues the commission has repeatedly retaliated against his first amendment right to free speech and says the first amendment does not disappear because someone holds a law license or is in an elected office.

Rokita also claims his lawsuit is in the best interest of Hoosiers since he feels Sampson is running a Facebook Marketplace scam, so it falls under deceptive consumer sales practice.

But Sampson remains steadfast in his legal fight against Rokita despite a tough time in court thus far; claiming his innocence against Rokita's claims.

"I just hope the Supreme Court starts asking for more evidence," Sampson says. "I never did that guy wrong; I went above and beyond to take care of that guy more than once. And he's put me, my family, my kids, everyone in lots of stress, financial hardship."

Sampson says Rokita's lawyer reached out to his lawyer last month with a possible settlement deal, but he declined the deal.

ABC57 reached out to Rokita's office and asked for an interview about the new lawsuit but did not yet receive a response.

ABC57 also called the office of the state disciplinary commission to ask for a comment, but they say it will respond in court.