Title: Cincinnati Bar Assn. v. Newman

State: ohio

Issuer: Ohio Supreme Court

Document:

[Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets, it may be cited as 
Cincinnati Bar Assn. v. Newman, Slip Opinion No. 2010-Ohio-928.] 
 
 
NOTICE 
This slip opinion is subject to formal revision before it is published in 
an advance sheet of the Ohio Official Reports.  Readers are requested 
to promptly notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Court of Ohio, 
65 South Front Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, of any typographical or 
other formal errors in the opinion, in order that corrections may be 
made before the opinion is published. 
 
SLIP OPINION NO. 2010-OHIO-928 
CINCINNATI BAR ASSOCIATION v. NEWMAN. 
[Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets, it 
may be cited as Cincinnati Bar Assn. v. Newman,  
Slip Opinion No. 2010-Ohio-928.] 
Attorneys at law — Misconduct — Disciplinary procedure — Sworn or certified 
documentary evidence required upon default — Gov.Bar R. V(6)(F)(1). 
(No. 2009-1917 — Submitted December 16, 2009 — Decided March 17, 2010.) 
ON CERTIFIED REPORT by the Board of Commissioners on Grievances and 
Discipline of the Supreme Court, No. 09-041. 
__________________ 
Per Curiam. 
{¶ 1} Respondent, George W. Newman III of Cincinnati, Ohio, Attorney 
Registration No. 0050769, was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio in October 
1964.  In June 2009, relator, Cincinnati Bar Association, filed a complaint 
charging respondent with violations of the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct.  
Relator served respondent with the complaint, but he did not answer.  Therefore, 
in August 2009, relator moved for default.  See Gov.Bar R. V(6)(F).  The Board 
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of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline referred the default motion to a 
master commissioner, who made findings of fact, conclusions of law, and a 
recommendation that the board indefinitely suspend respondent from the practice 
of law, which the board adopted.  However, because we find that the record lacks 
sufficient sworn or certified evidence to support the allegations of misconduct, we 
return this cause to the board for further proceedings consistent with this decision. 
{¶ 2} In its complaint, relator alleged that in September 2007, respondent 
had entered a guilty plea and was convicted of three counts of theft in violation of 
R.C. 2913.02, fifth-degree felonies.  Specifically, relator stated that respondent 
engaged in a scheme by which he deposited checks drawn on closed accounts or 
accounts with insufficient funds into other bank accounts and then withdrew cash 
from those artificially inflated accounts, causing losses of $5,809.67 to Fifth Third 
Bank, $11,804 to U.S. Bank, and $4,459.99 to Huntington Bank.  Relator noted 
that based upon the conduct alleged, this court had imposed an interim felony 
suspension from the practice of law against respondent on February 2, 2009.  In re 
Newman, 120 Ohio St.3d 1500, 2009-Ohio-381, 900 N.E.2d 618.  Additionally, 
relator alleged that despite having received notice of the disciplinary investigation 
pending against him, respondent failed to respond or otherwise participate in the 
disciplinary process. 
{¶ 3} Based upon the foregoing conduct, relator alleged that respondent 
violated his oath of office and Prof.Cond. R. 8.1(b) (forbidding failure to respond 
to a demand for information from a disciplinary authority), 8.3(a) (requiring a 
lawyer to self-report violations of the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct that 
raise questions about the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness, and fitness), and 
8.4(b) (prohibiting illegal acts that reflect adversely on the lawyer’s honesty or 
trustworthiness). 
{¶ 4} Relator supported its motion for default judgment with copies of 
documents purporting to be the indictment, bill of particulars, guilty plea, 
January Term, 2010 
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judgment entry, our interim-suspension order, three letters addressed to 
respondent, and two certified-mail return receipts that appear to have been signed 
by respondent.  Additionally, relator submitted the affidavit of its attorney 
investigator.1 
{¶ 5} Gov.Bar R. V(6)(F)(1) provides:  “A motion for default shall 
contain all of the following:  * * * (b)  Sworn or certified documentary prima 
facie evidence in support of the allegations made.”  Additionally, Gov.Bar R. 
V(6)(J)  specifies that findings of misconduct must be supported by clear and 
convincing evidence. 
{¶ 6} The Supreme Court Rules for the Government of the Bar of Ohio 
do not define the terms “sworn or certified documentary * * * evidence.”  
Therefore, we use the common, ordinary, and accepted meaning.  Black’s Law 
Dictionary (9th Ed.2009) 385 defines “certified copy” as “[a] duplicate of an 
original (usu. official) document, certified as an exact reproduction usu. by the 
officer responsible for issuing or keeping the original.” 
{¶ 7} Additionally, in the context of documents submitted in support of a 
motion for summary judgment, we have stated, “The requirement of Civ.R. 56(E) 
that sworn or certified copies of all papers referred to in the affidavit be attached 
is satisfied by attaching the papers to the affidavit, coupled with a statement 
therein that such copies are true copies and reproductions.”  State ex rel. Corrigan 
v. Seminatore (1981), 66 Ohio St.2d 459, 467, 20 O.O.3d 388, 423 N.E.2d 105.  
                                                 
1.  {¶ a} The affidavit states:   
     {¶ b} “1.  I am an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio. 
     {¶ c} “2.  I am and have been for many years a member of the Certified Grievance Committee 
of the Cincinnati Bar Association. 
     {¶ d} “3.  I was asked to investigate a complaint against George W. Newman III arising out of 
his felony theft conviction. 
     {¶ e} “4. I attempted to contact Mr. Newman by telephone (his listed number was not 
functional) and by certified and regular mail.  He received the certified mail but did not respond in 
any way. 
     {¶ f} “5.  Following the filing of the complaint herein, I contacted Mr. Newman by certified 
letter of July 9, 2009.  He received the certified mail but did not respond in any way.” 
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Likewise, we conclude that a party may satisfy the Gov.Bar R. V(6)(F)(1) 
requirement by submitting copies of documents attached to an affidavit containing 
a statement that they are true copies and reproductions. 
{¶ 8} Here, however, the documents submitted by relator in support of 
its motion for default judgment were neither certified nor sworn.  None of the 
documents bears any certification by the officer responsible for issuing or keeping 
the original that the copy is a true or exact reproduction.  And although relator 
submitted an affidavit from its investigative attorney, that affidavit refers only to 
the letters addressed to respondent and the two certified-mail return receipts that 
appear to have been signed by respondent.  It contains no statement that the 
copies referred to in the affidavit are true copies or reproductions of the originals.  
Nor does it mention the submitted copies of the indictment, bill of particulars, 
guilty plea, judgment entry, or our interim-suspension order, let alone contain a 
sworn statement that they are true copies. 
{¶ 9} Based upon the foregoing, we reject the findings of fact, 
conclusions of law, and recommendation of the board because the record before 
us lacks sufficient sworn or certified documentary prima facie evidence in support 
of relator’s allegations.  Accordingly, we return this case to the board for further 
proceedings consistent with this decision, including the submission and 
consideration of sworn or certified evidence establishing the charges of 
respondent’s misconduct.  See Dayton Bar Assn. v. Sebree, 104 Ohio St.3d 448, 
2004-Ohio-6560, 820 N.E.2d 318, ¶ 16. 
Judgment accordingly. 
 
MOYER, C.J., and PFEIFER, O’CONNOR, O’DONNELL, LANZINGER, and 
CUPP, JJ., concur. 
 
LUNDBERG STRATTON, J., dissents and would permanently disbar the 
respondent. 
__________________ 
January Term, 2010 
5 
 
Naomi C. Dallob and Edwin W. Patterson III, for relator. 
______________________