Case Title: Florida Bar

Citation: 284 So. 2d 686

Docket Number: 

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 1973-10-24T00:00:00Z

Document:
284 So. 2d 686 (1973)
THE FLORIDA BAR.
In re Paul Shimek, Jr.
No. 43920.

Supreme Court of Florida.
October 24, 1973.
Kent Spriggs, Tallahassee, for petitioner.
Barry W. Beroset, Asst. State's Atty., for respondent.
PER CURIAM.
In this Bar disciplinary proceeding, petitioner, Paul Shimek, Jr., seeks review of an order entered by the Circuit Court of Escambia County on April 9, 1973, wherein that court found petitioner to be guilty of violation of both Canon EC8-6 and Canon DR8-102(B), 32 F.S.A. and ordered that he shall within five (5) days from the date of the order file with the Clerk of the Court a public apology, directed to the judiciary of the State of Florida, failing which, he shall, upon the expiration of said time, automatically stand suspended from the practice of law for a period of twenty (20) days. Review of this order is sought pursuant to Rule 11.09, Florida Bar Integration Rule, 32 F.S.A.
This disciplinary proceeding against petitioner arose from statements made by him in a memorandum filed with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Pensacola Division. Shimek had received an adverse ruling by way of summary judgment in a case before the Circuit Court of Escambia County, Florida. After rehearing was denied, Shimek filed suit in Federal Court alleging violation of his client's civil rights. In opposition to a Motion to Dismiss his cause in the federal court, Shimek filed a "Supplementary Memorandum in Opposition to Motion to Dismiss" wherein he included the following paragraph:
The Federal District Court concluding that the above language represented a scarrilous attack upon members of the state judiciary, completely unwarranted by the record before it, and outside all bounds of propriety, by order dated January 25, 1973, *687 expunged the above paragraph from the memorandum and ordered the clerk of that court to refer a copy of the entire memorandum containing the aforestated paragraph to Chief Judge Woodrow Melvin, First Judicial Circuit of Florida, so that he may be apprised of the same.
Upon receipt of this order from the Clerk of the United States District Court, the Chief Judge of the First Judicial Circuit in an order entered January 29, 1973, wherein the Judge indicated,
directed the State Attorney to institute appropriate disciplinary proceedings in the name of the State of Florida. Pursuant to Rule 11.14, Florida Bar Integration Rule, and the aforestated order of the Circuit Judge, the State Attorney filed a motion to discipline Shimek in the Circuit Court of Escambia County alleging the above facts and charging:
Shimek pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1442(a)(3) filed a petition for removal of this bar disciplinary proceeding to the Federal District Court which petition was denied by that court. In remanding the matter to the Circuit Court of Escambia County, the Federal Court opined, inter alia,
After hearing was held before the assigned judge at which Shimek, his counsel and an Assistant State Attorney appeared, the judge entered an order in which he found, as follows:
Subsequently, and within the allotted time, petitioner made a public apology directed to the Judiciary of the State of Florida for having made the statement which is the subject matter of this proceeding.
The arguments posited by petitioner in the instant petition for review of the order of the trial judge are without merit. He argues, inter alia, that the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States bars disciplining an attorney for accusations against the judiciary of the State of Florida. To the contrary, this Court in an opinion by the late Justice Thornal in State ex rel. Florida Bar v. Calhoon, 102 So. 2d 604, succinctly stated and we reaffirm:
The conduct of the attorney as defined in this proceeding cannot be condoned. However, we note that pursuant to the order of the trial court he filed a written apology to the court within the time prescribed. Accordingly, the disposition of the matter made by the trial court is approved by this court and the petitioner is admonished to refrain from such misconduct in the future.
It is so ordered.
CARLTON, C.J., and ROBERTS, ADKINS, BOYD and McCAIN, JJ., concur.