Title: Douglas Goeb v.

State: wisconsin

Issuer: Wisconsin Supreme Court

Document:

No. 96-0605-D 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTICE 
This opinion is subject to further 
editing and modification.  The final 
version will appear in the bound 
volume of the official reports.   
 
 
 
 
No.  96-0605-D 
 
STATE OF WISCONSIN             :                IN SUPREME COURT 
                                                                   
 
 
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings 
Against DOUGLAS C. GOEB, Attorney at Law. 
 
FILED 
 
 
JUNE 4, 1996 
 
 
 Marilyn L. Graves 
  Clerk of Supreme Court 
  
Madison, WI  
 
                                                                 
  
 
 
 
ATTORNEY 
disciplinary 
proceeding. 
 
Attorney's 
license 
suspended. 
 
PER CURIAM.   We review, pursuant to SCR 21.09(3m),
1 the 
complaint 
filed 
by 
the 
Board 
of 
Attorneys 
Professional 
                     
     
1  SCR 21.09 provides, in pertinent part:  Procedure. 
 
. . . 
 
(3m)  The board may file with a complaint a stipulation by 
the board and the respondent attorney to the facts, conclusions of 
law and discipline to be imposed.  The supreme court may consider 
the complaint and stipulation without appointing a referee.  If 
the supreme court approves the stipulation, it shall adopt the 
stipulated facts and conclusions of law and impose the stipulated 
discipline.  If the supreme court rejects the stipulation, a 
referee shall be appointed pursuant to sub. (4) and the matter 
shall proceed pursuant to SCR chapter 22.  A stipulation that is 
rejected has no evidentiary value and is without prejudice to the 
respondent's defense of the proceeding or the board's prosecution 
of the complaint.   
 
No. 96-0605-D 
 
 
 
2 
Responsibility (Board) alleging the professional misconduct of 
Attorney Douglas C. Goeb and the parties' stipulation to the facts 
and conclusions of law in respect to that misconduct and to a one-
year license suspension as discipline for it.  The misconduct 
consisted of Attorney Goeb's failure to complete timely the 
probate of 10 estates, his failure to communicate properly with 
the personal representatives in those estates, his filing with the 
Department of Revenue closing certificates in 20 estates that he 
had forged, misrepresenting that fiduciary and inheritance tax 
returns had been filed, his fabrication of a certificate of 
publication in another estate misrepresenting to a client that a 
notice to creditors had been published, and his acceptance and 
retention of $1400 in fees in two legal matters to which the law 
firm where he was employed was entitled.   
 
We approve the stipulation of the parties and adopt the 
stipulated facts and conclusions that Attorney Goeb's misconduct 
constituted 
conduct 
involving 
dishonesty, 
fraud, 
deceit or 
misrepresentation, in violation of SCR 20:8.4(c);
2 the lack of 
diligence in representing clients, in violation of SCR 20:1.3;
3 
                     
     
2  SCR 20:8.4 provides, in pertinent part:  "Misconduct 
 
It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to:   
 
. . . 
 
(c)  engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or 
misrepresentation; 
     
3 SCR 20:1.3 provides:  Diligence 
 
A lawyer shall act with reasonable diligence and promptness 
in representing a client.   
 
No. 96-0605-D 
 
 
 
3 
and the failure to adequately communicate with clients, in 
violation of SCR 20:1.4(a).
4  We determine that the seriousness of 
the misconduct warrants the suspension of Attorney Goeb's license 
to practice law for one year, as the parties had stipulated.   
 
Attorney Goeb was admitted to practice law in Wisconsin in 
1983 and practices in Oak Creek.  He previously has not been the 
subject of an attorney disciplinary proceeding.   
 
The law firm at which Attorney Goeb was employed discovered 
that he had filed a false closing certificate in one of the 
estates on which he was working and that he had submitted a false 
acknowledgement of publication in another estate.  The firm 
terminated his employment and filed a grievance with the Board.  
The firm subsequently learned of his filing a false closing 
certificate in another estate.   
 
After the grievance was filed, Attorney Goeb reported to the 
Board 18 additional estates in which he had filed false closing 
certificates between 1991 and 1994.  He also disclosed his failure 
to turn over to the law firm $1400 in fees he had collected and to 
which it was entitled.   
 
The parties stipulated that Attorney Goeb forged the closing 
certificates in order to mislead the courts in which these estates 
                     
     
4  SCR 20:1.4 provides, in pertinent part:  Communication 
 
(a)  A lawyer shall keep a client reasonably informed about 
the status of a matter and promptly comply with reasonable 
requests for information.   
 
No. 96-0605-D 
 
 
 
4 
were pending and the personal representatives of the estates that 
he had concluded his work in them.  In fact, fiduciary returns had 
not been filed in 14 of the estates, and inheritance tax returns 
had not been filed in 12 of them.   
 
In its response to this court's inquiry concerning the 
discipline to which it had stipulated, the Board stated that it 
took into account as a significant mitigating factor that, 
although he did not bring his misconduct to the Board's attention 
initially, Attorney Goeb did self-report the additional misconduct 
of filing forged closing certificates in 18 other estates and his 
retention of law firm fees.  The Board considered that disclosure 
beneficial to the protection of the public in the future and 
promotive of Attorney Goeb's rehabilitation.   
 
IT IS ORDERED that the license of Attorney Douglas C. Goeb to 
practice law in Wisconsin is suspended for a period of one year, 
commencing July 8, 1996.   
 
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that within 60 days of the date of this 
order Douglas C. Goeb pay to the Board of Attorneys Professional 
Responsibility the costs of this proceeding, provided that if the 
costs are not paid within the time specified and absent a showing 
to this court of his inability to pay the costs within that time, 
the license of Douglas C. Goeb to practice law in Wisconsin shall 
remain suspended until further order of the court.   
 
No. 96-0605-D 
 
 
 
5 
 
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Douglas C. Goeb comply with the 
provisions of SCR 22.26 concerning the duties of a person whose 
license to practice law in Wisconsin has been suspended.   
 
No. 96-0605-D 
 
 
 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
                                                              
 
Case No.: 
 
96-0605-D 
                                                              
 
Complete Title 
of Case: 
In the Matter of Disciplinary 
 
 
 
Proceedings Against 
 
 
 
Douglas C. Goeb, 
 
 
 
Attorney at Law. 
 
 
 
_________________________________ 
 
 
 
 
DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS AGAINST GOEB 
 
                                                              
 
Opinion Filed:  
June 4, 1996 
 
Submitted on Briefs: 
 
Oral Argument: 
 
 
                                                              
 
Source of APPEAL 
 
COURT: 
 
 
COUNTY: 
 
 
JUDGE: 
 
 
                                                              
 
JUSTICES: 
 
 
Concurred: 
 
 
Dissented: 
 
 
Not Participating: 
 
                                                              
 
ATTORNEYS: