Title: Lisi v. Several Attorneys

State: rhode-island

Issuer: Rhode Island Supreme Court

Document:

596 A.2d 313 (1991) Mary M. LISI, Chief Disciplinary Counsel v. SEVERAL ATTORNEYS. No. 91-338-M.P. Supreme Court of Rhode Island. July 26, 1991. Mary M. Lisi, Chief Disciplinary Counsel, pro se. Steven Fortunato, Warwick, for James D. Levitt. Joseph A. Kelly, Providence, for N. Jameson Chace. *314 John Tramonti, Jr., Providence, for Stephen A. Gordon. Thomas J. Liguori, Jr., Westerly, for George A. Comolli. SHEA, Justice. These disciplinary matters are before the Supreme Court pursuant to Rule 42-6(b) of the Supreme Court Rules.[1] The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court (disciplinary board) voted to recommend sanctions against the respondent attorneys following full disciplinary hearings in each case. Even though each respondent attorney has come before this court separately pursuant to our order to appear and show cause why he or she should not be disciplined, we have, on our own motion, consolidated the cases to consider in one opinion the common issues raised by all these cases. This court learned of the events that gave rise to these petitions on August 23, 1989. On that date the Chief Judge of the Family Court forwarded a letter to the Chief Justice advising him that John E. Fuyat (Fuyat), then an associate justice of the Family Court, had committed himself to a hospital for treatment for a period of thirty days. Fuyat had not been on the bench after July 10, 1989. Further discussion with the Chief Judge disclosed that information had come to him that Fuyat may have been involved in obtaining loans of money from several attorneys. By letter of August 25, 1989, the Chief Justice, after conferring with the other members of this court, directed that Fuyat be relieved of all judicial duties pending completion of an investigation by the Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline, which was subsequently asked to look into the entire matter.[2] This court also directed the office of the Disciplinary Counsel of the Supreme Court (disciplinary counsel) to look into the allegations that Fuyat had obtained loans of money from several attorneys. In fairly short order, on September 25, 1989, Fuyat resigned from his position as associate justice of the Family Court. On December 22, 1990, the chief disciplinary counsel filed with the clerk of this court a petition for disciplinary action against Fuyat in his capacity as an attorney licensed to practice law in this state. That petition relied upon complaints of incidents wherein Fuyat solicited substantial loans of money from attorneys, some, but not all, of whom practiced in the Family Court. In due course Fuyat, through counsel, filed with the disciplinary board an affidavit in which he consented to disbarment. We ordered his disbarment as is required of us under Rule 42-13(b) of the Supreme Court Rules. In doing so, this court observed that Fuyat's consent to disbarment was tantamount to a plea of nolo contendere in a criminal matter, and the consent constituted an admission that he did, in fact, engage in the conduct with which he was charged. Carter v. Fuyat, 571 A.2d 1126, 1126-27 (R.I. 1990). This court was later petitioned by the Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline (commission) for advice on whether the commission continued to have jurisdiction over a judge who had resigned before the commission had issued a notice of public hearing under § 8-16-4(c). The commission was specifically uncertain of its jurisdiction over Fuyat because the charges set forth against him in the proposed notice related to conduct that occurred solely during Fuyat's judicial tenure. We held that the commission continued to have jurisdiction over a resigned or retired judge because the commission had the power to impose sanctions other than removal from office. In re Fuyat, 578 A.2d 1387, 1389 (R.I. 1990). However, in Fuyat's case, he had not only been removed from office but had also been disbarred. Since he had admitted *315 the charges made against him in a parallel proceeding, no useful purpose could be accomplished in an evidentiary proceeding before the commission. Id. Furthermore, because the disciplinary counsel and staff were then engaged in hearings on complaints against the individual attorneys, which hearings must be confidential under Supreme Court Rule 42-21 until public sanctions are imposed by this court, any hearing against Fuyat that publicly implicated the attorneys would violate their rights of confidentiality under the Rule. 578 A.2d at 1389. After investigation the disciplinary board authorized the filing of petitions for disciplinary action against the attorneys who were alleged to have lent money to Fuyat. The disciplinary board worked diligently for over a year after receiving the complaints and the investigative reports. Separate hearings were conducted in each case before three member panels of the disciplinary board wherein due-process rights were fully afforded to each attorney. Thereafter, the full disciplinary board reviewed each case before final decisions were reached and recommendations to this court were decided upon. In regard to two of the attorneys, since one of them was the immediate past chairman of the disciplinary board, a special hearing board was convened to address the complaints against that attorney and his law partner who was also the subject of a complaint. The disciplinary board considered some of the charges under the old Disciplinary Rules of the Code of Professional Responsibility that were in effect until November 15, 1988, because some of the alleged violations occurred prior to that date. The Rules under the prior code that were alleged to have been violated were as follows: Other charges were considered under the new Rules of Professional Conduct that became effective November 15, 1988, replacing the Code of Professional Responsibility. The Rules of the new code alleged to have been violated were as follows: Finally the Canon of Judicial Ethics that applied to Fuyat in all cases was this: The Canon of Judicial Ethics 21(A) is consistent with Disciplinary Rule DR 7-110(A) and Rule 8.4(f) since it prohibits a judge from accepting a gift, bequest, loan, or favor from any attorney, just as DR 7-110(A) prohibits an attorney from giving or lending anything of value to a judge and Rule 8.4(f) provides that assisting a judge in conduct that violates the Rules constitutes misconduct. We approve of and affirm the disciplinary board's determination that the Rules of Professional Conduct now in force did not lessen but rather strengthened the proscription of the activity that brought about these charges. Rule 42-6(d) of the Supreme Court Rules states the following concerning our review of the disciplinary board's recommendations: We have consistently observed the policy that great weight is afforded to the decisions of the disciplinary board. Carter v. Folcarelli, 121 R.I. 667, 402 A.2d 1175 (1979). "The primary purpose of discipline is not punishment; it is the protection of the public and those charged with the administration of justice." Id. at 672, 402 A.2d at 1178; In re Levin, 116 R.I. 949, 951, 359 A.2d 360, 362 (1976). The ultimate responsibility for the imposition of sanction, however, is ours.[3] The record before us discloses that between October 1985 and July 1989 Fuyat obtained money, usually in the form of loans, from attorneys licensed to practice in this state. Some of respondent attorneys practiced regularly before the Family Court while others did so infrequently or not at all. It is important to note that in none of these cases did the evidence show an attorney offering money to Fuyat as a sitting judge. Rather in each case the solicitation of money was made by Fuyat. Moreover, no evidence demonstrates or even suggests that any of the attorneys planned to influence Fuyat by acceding to his requests. Most of the attorneys acted out of sympathy and/or friendship; they complied with Fuyat's urgent requests in order to avoid Fuyat's being subjected to *317 the public embarrassment that the judge represented as imminent. One or two attorneys stated candidly that fear of retribution by Fuyat if the loan was not made was a motivating factor in acceding to his request. In this respect we must recognize, in all fairness to the respondents, that these events happened at a time when Fuyat was a respected sitting judge of the Family Court ostensibly performing the duties of his office adequately. It is also important to note that some of the attorneys had a personal relationship with Fuyat that extended beyond the relationship of attorney-judge. Three of the attorneys who lent money to Fuyat were close friends with Fuyat and maintained longstanding family relationships between the judge's family and their own. They acknowledged that they would have lent money to Fuyat regardless of his judicial position. However, none of these three attorneys practiced in the Family Court, and the disciplinary board dismissed the charges against them. Many of the other attorneys who lent money to Fuyat knew the judge from their association in college and/or law school. Still others were familiar with Fuyat from his tenure at the State House as an aide to the Senate Majority Leader. Against this background, after reviewing the facts in each case, we find it impossible to ignore the similarities in the numerous transactions wherein Fuyat obtained loans of money from the attorneys. In the great majority of instances when loans were made, Fuyat would, in exchange, give the attorney his personal check for the amount lent, or with the amount left blank, with the instruction to hold the check for a brief period until his anticipated funds were received so that Fuyat's check would be honored by his bank. In some instances a promissory note was signed. Fuyat would give the attorneys a variety of reasons why he needed the money immediately and could not wait for his anticipated funds. He frequently informed the attorneys that he had a tuition bill due for one of his children. Fuyat also gave numerous other reasons, including that his wife was ill and needed a back operation, that his foster children required psychiatric help, that a real estate closing on property he owned had been delayed, and that he needed a short-term loan and could not go to a bank because he did not want his wife to know about the loan. Two transactions were alleged by Fuyat to be real estate investments and another was a "swing loan" arranged by an attorney and his partner who was a shareholder in a real estate development corporation owned by his family. Those investments and the swing loan were repaid eventually after some agitation on the part of the attorneys. It is deserving of mention that none of these attorneys had any reason to believe that he was only one of a large number of attorneys who had been preyed upon by Fuyat. Each attorney kept Fuyat's confidence in order not to embarrass the judge. Thus, Fuyat's predilection for borrowing money was not a topic of general conversation around the courthouse or anywhere else until after the entire situation became public knowledge. We also emphasize that in almost every instance each attorney successfully avoided appearing before Fuyat after the loan had been made except to answer a calendar call, to continue a case, or to have a case transferred to another judge's calendar. In the aftermath of these events an overview of Fuyat's operations reveals that avoiding a hearing on the merits before Fuyat was apparently not difficult since he rarely conducted hearings in contested cases. After a daily calendar call Fuyat would retreat to his chambers and confer endlessly with attorneys, urging them to resolve their differences. His most frequent judicial function appears to have been to assume the bench and conclude cases as "nominal" contests, that is, judicially ordering the terms to which the parties and their attorneys had already agreed. There was one exception to this rule in that one attorney was in the process of trying a contested case before Fuyat *318 when he and his partner made loans to Fuyat. The matters presented to the disciplinary board and to this court represent cases of first impression. We have never previously been called upon to consider disciplining attorneys for this type of violation. Therefore, this court, as did the disciplinary board, will look to the experience of other jurisdictions that have addressed similar situations. We have also not previously been called upon to consider the Rules of Professional Conduct that became effective on November 15, 1988. As we do so now, we conclude that the provisions of these new regulations, when read together with their accompanying commentaries, set forth purposes and require standards of conduct virtually identical with those of the former Code of Professional Responsibility and the case law that had developed thereunder. It does appear, however, that at least one different emphasis exists in the new rules, in that there is a much stronger emphasis in our present Rules of Professional Conduct regarding the duty to report to appropriate authorities misconduct of which the attorney has knowledge. For this reason the disciplinary board made findings concerning the failure to report ethical misconduct in situations in which it was appropriate to do so involving activity that occurred after November 15, 1988. In looking to other states for guidance, we note that one state, Illinois, has had numerous opportunities to publish opinions dealing with the requirements and breaches of the provisions of the Disciplinary Rules, principally DR 7-110(A) and DR 1-102(A)(5). The Illinois Supreme Court reasoned that any attorney who gives a loan or anything of value to a judge, even with an honest intent and motive, prejudices the administration of justice by giving the appearance of compromising the impartiality that is the sine qua non of our system of justice. Applying this reasoning, the Illinois Supreme Court imposed a one-year suspension on an attorney who personally lent $2,500 to a judge for campaign expenses.[4] Such loans in jurisdictions where judges are elected must be made to campaign committees. The Illinois Supreme Court also applied this reasoning to disbar an attorney for persuading a client with a pending matter before a judge to put up collateral so that the judge could obtain a bank loan, even though the judge was unaware of the identity of his benefactor.[5] Similarly the New York Supreme Court imposed a public censure on attorneys who were found to violate DR 7-110(A) by paying for a weekend stay at a resort for a judge and his wife.[6] The court considered as mitigating factors the longstanding relationship between the attorneys and the judge and the lack of evidence suggesting that attorneys intended to influence the judge. The Minnesota Supreme Court also imposed a public censure when two attorneys lent money to a judge before whom they practiced.[7] Although this discipline was imposed under a canon of ethics that provided "`[a] lawyer * * * deserves rebuke and denunciation for any device or attempt to gain from a Judge special personal consideration or favor,'" In re Litman, 272 N.W.2d 264, 265 (Minn. 1978), the court stressed: *319 Finally, the Illinois Supreme Court imposed a public censure when an attorney who had been a long-time friend of a judge arranged seven bank loans of $5,000 each for the judge and later asked a friend to arrange such a loan.[8] In imposing this public censure, the Illinois Supreme Court recognized that the attorney was unlikely to appear before the judge when the loans were arranged, although the attorney did handle one randomly assigned pro-bono case before the judge without advising opposing counsel of his financial relationship with the judge. The case was settled before trial. It is clear from a review of these and many other cases that each case must be considered individually by the disciplinary board. Moreover, when the disciplinary board concludes that a violation has occurred, it is appropriate to consider aggravating and mitigating factors if they exist. Some of the factors that the disciplinary board appropriately considered lead to the following questions: We have carefully examined the transcripts of the disciplinary board hearings as well as its recommendations, and we have come to the conclusion that its findings and recommendations are not unreasonable. It is regrettable that these members of the bar, none of whom have any prior record of ethical violations and many of whom have contributed countless hours of voluntary service to the courts of this state as well as to the bar as a whole, should be before this court in their present posture. Although each member of this court has recognized that the admitted activity of these attorneys is, in fact, an ethical violation, we are also aware of the fact that each attorney was singled out by Fuyat and artfully coerced. Nevertheless, as we stated earlier, our purpose in these disciplinary matters is not primarily punishment, but the protection of the public interest. Part of that interest is the restoration of public confidence in the integrity of the bar and its relationship with the judiciary. For all these reasons we impose the following sanctions. In doing so, we also disclose the identities of the attorneys for whom public censure or suspension is recommended: In the proceedings that gave rise to this opinion, other dispositions by way of admonition, private censure, and dismissal of the complaint were decided upon by the disciplinary board. Under Rule 42-21 the attorneys involved will not be identified. FAY, C.J., and KELLEHER, J., concurring. By opinion of this court rendered in the above captioned case, issued pursuant to Rule 42-6(d) of the Supreme Court Rules, the findings and recommendations of the Disciplinary Board for sanctions concerning the respondent James D. Levitt were approved and adopted. In this case respondent attorney was found to have violated Disciplinary Rule 9-102(A) and Rules of Professional Conduct 1.16(a) and 8.4(d) by commingling funds, by representing a judge in a legal matter while his partner was conducting a trial before that judge and by not objecting to a loan to a judge by a company in which the respondent had a financial interest. Therefore, respondent James D. Levitt is suspended from the practice of law in this state for a period of not less than six (6) months commencing on the first day of September 1991. The respondent may not apply for readmission to practice before March 1, 1992, and will be required at that time to prove to the satisfaction of the Disciplinary Counsel that he has complied in all respects with the requirements of this order. The respondent is directed to fully comply with the requirements of Rule 42-15 of the Supreme Court Rules regarding notification of the Clerk and to Clients. By opinion of this court rendered in the above captioned case, issued pursuant to Rule 42-6(d) of the Supreme Court Rules, the findings and recommendations of the Disciplinary Board for sanctions concerning the respondent Stephen A. Gordon were approved and adopted. In this case the respondent was found to have violated Disciplinary Rules 7-110(A), 1-102(A)(5), 1-103(A), 9-102(A) and the Rules of Professional Conduct 8.4(d), 1.16(a), by exchanging *321 checks, arranging for loans, failing to report as required by DR 1-103(A), by commingling funds, and by referring a judge to his law partner for legal services while respondent had a matter in trial before the judge. Therefore, respondent Stephen A. Gordon is suspended from the practice of law in this state for a period of not less than one (1) year commencing on the first day of September, 1991. The respondent may not apply for readmission to practice before September 1, 1992 and will be required at that time to prove to the satisfaction of the Disciplinary Counsel that he has complied in all respects with this order. The respondent is directed to fully comply with the requirements of Rule 42-15 of the Supreme Court Rules regarding notification of the Clerk and to Clients. By opinion of this Court rendered in the above captioned case issued pursuant to Rule 42-6(d) of the Supreme Court Rules, the findings and recommendations of the Disciplinary Board for sanctions concerning respondent George A. Comolli were approved and adopted. In this case the respondent attorney was found to have violated Disciplinary Rules 7-110(A), 1-102(A), 1-102(A)(5), and 1-102(A)(4) by engaging in an exchange of checks on two occasions which were actually loans, then failing to cooperate by being less than candid when questioned by Disciplinary Counsel regarding the means by which the loans were repaid. Therefore, respondent George A. Comolli is suspended from the practice of law in this state for a period of thirty (30) days commencing on September 1, 1991. The respondent is directed to fully comply with the requirements of Rule 42-15 of the Supreme Court Rules. By opinion of this Court rendered on the above captioned case pursuant to Rule 42-6(d) of the Supreme Court Rules, the findings and recommendations of the Disciplinary Board for sanction concerning respondent N. Jameson Chace were approved and adopted. In this case the respondent attorney was found to have violated Disciplinary Rules DR 7-110(A), DR 1-102(A)(5) and DR 1-102(A)(2) by facilitating arrangements for a loan from a family business to a judge before whom his firm had and continued to have a domestic relations practice handled by attorneys from his firm. Therefore, N. Jameson Chace is suspended from the practice of law in this state effective the first day of September 1991 for a period of thirty (30) days. The respondent is directed to fully comply with the requirements set forth in Rule 42-15 of the Supreme Court Rules. The following is the transmittal letter referenced in footnote 3, with minor editing, that the disciplinary board sent to this court: The General Memorandum referenced in footnote 3 of the text and appendix 1 reads in full as follows (with minor editing to give verbatim quotation to the Court Rules): "Rule 3.5. Impartiality and Decorum of the Tribunal. A lawyer shall not: MURRAY, Justice, concurring. In concurrence I write separately to state specifically my position with reference to certain matters set forth in the majority opinion. First, I believe that this court's standard of review of the disciplinary board's recommendations needs to be elucidated. Our case law indicates that we give great weight to the board's disciplinary recommendations. The ultimate responsibility for imposing discipline resides with this court. See Carter v. Walsh, 122 R.I. 349, 354, 406 A.2d 263, 265 (1979); Carter v. Folcarelli, 121 R.I. 667, 672, 402 A.2d 1175, 1178 (1979). It is my conviction that this standard does not allow the court to engage in denovo review of a matter even if it is so inclined. My research confirms this conviction. The Supreme Court for the State of Utah has a similar standard of review to which I ascribe. That court has adopted the position that it will accept its board's recommendations unless they are arbitrary or unreasonable. See In re Calder, 795 P.2d 656, 657 (Utah 1990) (citing In re Hansen, 584 P.2d 805, 807 (Utah 1978)). It is the view of the District of Columbia that the Court of Appeals must implement the board's recommendations "unless to do so would foster a tendency toward inconsistent dispositions for comparable conduct or otherwise would be unwarranted." See In re Morris, 495 A.2d 1162, 1163 (D.C. App. 1985) (quoting D.C. Rules Annot. Rule XI). Our sister state Connecticut has common-law review of disciplinary-board recommendations. That state treats its disciplinary board as a quasi-judicial body, as does Rhode Island. See Pinsky v. Statewide Grievance Committee, 216 Conn. 228, 233, 578 A.2d 1075, 1078 (1990); Rule 1.2 of Rules of Procedure of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. Thus "the right of an attorney to judicial review in a disciplinary matter should [not] be any different than the process accorded other professionals in disciplinary matters before licensing and/or disciplinary boards." Pinsky, 216 Conn. at 235, 578 A.2d at 1079. Accordingly, in Connecticut the scope of that court's review is "limited to a review of the record to determine if the facts as found are supported by the evidence contained within the record and whether the conclusions that follow are legally and logically correct." Id. at 234, 578 A.2d at 1078. Second, I am not persuaded as the majority is that "no evidence demonstrates or even suggests that any of the attorneys planned to influence Fuyat by acceding to his requests" to lend money. See majority op. at 316. The majority opinion states that some attorneys acceded to the request to make loans because they feared retribution from the judge. The Illinois Supreme Court suspended an attorney for eighteen months under similar facts in the case of In re Karzov, 126 Ill. 2d 33, 127 Ill.Dec. *327 774, 533 N.E.2d 856 (1988). In Karzov a judge asked an attorney for a $1,000 loan so that he could take a vacation. The attorney had appeared before the judge in the past and anticipated appearing before him in the future. The attorney testified that although he resented being asked for a loan, he lent the money because he feared retribution from the judge. The Supreme Court of Illinois stated that even though the attorney had been coerced, the loan was in fact made with the intention of influencing the judge. That is, the attorney made the loan with the intent of influencing the judge not to seek retribution. Accordingly, I cannot adopt the majority's conclusion that those attorneys who made "loans" to Judge Fuyat out of fear that Judge Fuyat would seek retribution if the loans were not made did not do so with the intention of influencing the judge. Many of the facts recited in the majority's decision, such as the pre-existing friendships between Judge Fuyat and the attorneys in question, the noncontested nature of the appearances of the attorneys before the judge, and the fact that the loans were not public knowledge, are interesting background material. The disciplinary board appropriately considered these facts in recommending discipline. In my view none of these factors minimize the unethical conduct of the attorneys involved. Consonant with the tone of this concurrence, comment is made on the fact that other dispositions by way of admonitions and private censures were meted out to others not mentioned in the majority opinion. I feel no less critical of that conduct that did not result in harsher sanctions, but I am willing to abide by the deliberations that have been made by the board. In conclusion, the stake here is the public's confidence in the judicial system. That confidence can only be maintained by adherence to an inflexible principle that attorneys and judges avoid even the slightest appearance of impropriety. If there is any ambiguity or doubt concerning a transaction's propriety, those doubts should be resolved against those who participate in the activity. For these reasons I concur with the sanctions imposed, deeply conscious of the difficulty of the task that the disciplinary board[1] has performed with intelligence, discretion, and professionalism. WEISBERGER, Justice, dissenting. At the outset I should like to express my deep respect for the members of the disciplinary board who during a period of more than one year conducted hearings and evaluation meetings not only in respect to the twenty-one attorneys who are the subject of this opinion but also in respect to a number of other attorneys for whom public discipline was not recommended. Each attorney was given a separate evidentiary hearing by a panel designated for that purpose. Thereafter, the entire board evaluated the findings and recommendations of each panel. The recommendations concerning each respondent attorney were sent to this court along with a written decision setting forth findings of fact and conclusions of law. In each instance a transcript of the proceedings was furnished to the court as well. From the time of transmittal of the recommendations and supporting material the members of this court reviewed the record in each case and gave each attorney and his counsel an opportunity to show cause in writing and orally why the proposed disciplinary sanction should not be imposed. Both the members of the disciplinary board and the members of this court carefully considered the factual background in each case along with the relevant disciplinary rules that were in effect at the time of the conduct upon which the charges were based. I have no doubt of the high motivation of the members of the disciplinary board who serve without compensation for the sole purpose of maintaining the ethical standards upon which the practice of law must *328 be based. As set forth in appendix 1 to the opinion of the majority, the members of the disciplinary board were mindful of the privilege of self-regulation and the grave responsibilities that accompany it. In like manner the members of the court were fully aware that they were dealing with a case of first impression in this jurisdiction. They were fully aware of the enormous import of imposing discipline upon members of the bar of previously good reputation and outstanding professional competence. They balanced the gravity of this task against the necessity of maintaining public confidence in the ethical standards of the profession and in the impartiality of the administration of justice. Although I do not question the integrity, the good faith, and the rational basis of the conclusions reached by the disciplinary board and by my colleagues, I come to a different result based upon what I believe to be an equally conscientious evaluation of the same factual material. To a great extent my conclusions are based upon findings of fact made by the disciplinary board itself. Let us examine some of these findings. As set forth in appendix 2 to the majority opinion the disciplinary board issued a general memorandum in which certain overall findings of fact were stated. One of these general findings should be emphasized at this point: I accept the foregoing finding of fact and agree that it represents a common thread that may be discerned in all the cases presented to us. Both the disciplinary board and my colleagues on this court concluded that Judge Fuyat had skillfully maneuvered each of the attorneys into either exchanging checks with him in order to assist him in dire financial circumstances or arranging loans for him in circumstances of temporary monetary embarrassment. These findings are well synthesized by the comment in the transmittal letter (appendix I): The majority, in its opinion, reflects this finding and states without equivocation that "no evidence demonstrates or even suggests that any of the attorneys planned to influence Fuyat by acceding to his requests." The majority goes on to comment: It is also apparent from the findings of the disciplinary board and the majority that Fuyat seldom, if ever, decided a controverted issue. He was not only financially irresponsible, but was also professionally incompetent. The evidence in all the cases clearly indicates that on a typical judicial day Fuyat would either call the calendar or have his clerk do so. He would then retreat to his office where he would spend the day either telephoning on matters known only to himself or conferring with attorneys in order to exhort them to work out their differences so that he would not need to decide the issues in the cases. Consequently his track record indicated that he was highly unlikely to be in a position to grant judicial favors. *329 The general tenor of these undisputed facts that underlie the findings of the disciplinary board and the majority of this court persuades me that we are, however well-intentioned, punishing the victims of a sly, unscrupulous, and unethical judicial officer. There is no question in my mind that every one of these attorneys would have disassociated himself from Fuyat and denied his requests without hesitation if he had been aware of the scope and magnitude of the Fuyat machinations. We have the benefit of twenty-twenty hindsight as we review and correlate all these files. Each of the attorneys knew only of the request made to him or to his immediate associates. Each committed the wrong of misplaced compassion. Each felt that he was dealing with a judge who could be relied upon to meet his obligations, both financial and professional. A judicial officer is normally a person of considerable prestige who has merited wide respect in his or her community. He or she may be presumed to act in accordance with law and applicable ethical standards. A lawyer should not be strongly condemned for viewing a judge in this light, at least up to the point where the lawyer has reasonably clear notice to the contrary. I believe that by the time these lawyers had notice that Fuyat was unworthy of either the prestige or the respect due a judicial officer, it was too late to withdraw. As each of these attorneys was suddenly importuned by Fuyat, his opportunity for reflection was extremely limited. Even though in some instances the attorney might have had a chance to reconsider as he engaged in implementing the transaction requested, it is important to bear in mind that the attorney had already committed himself and would, therefore, have been most reluctant to reverse his indicated course. I recognize that the members of the disciplinary board and my colleagues have as a goal the maintenance of public confidence in the bar and in the judicial system. This confidence has obviously been eroded by the outrageous conduct of Fuyat. The tragedy is, however, further compounded by his touching the lives of others who, without his persuasion, would have been wholly innocent of wrongdoing. Public confidence in the administration of justice can be earned and maintained only when the judicial system is seen to render justice in the individual case. I do not believe that the "appearance of impropriety" supports the imposition of the recommended discipline upon the respondent attorneys in this case. It would be my decision to impose private censure upon all those for whom public censure is recommended. I would impose public censure upon those attorneys for whom suspension is recommended. It must be noted that the sanction of suspension, particularly for an extended period, will have a devastating effect upon the professional career of the attorneys involved. I do not believe that their conduct in arranging loans for Fuyat is deserving of this drastic sanction. I tend to be persuaded by the conclusion of the Supreme Court of Illinois in In re Corboy, 124 Ill. 2d 29, 49, 124 Ill.Dec. 6, 15, 528 N.E.2d 694, 703 (1988), wherein the court recognized that the respondent attorneys were "sailing in uncharted waters." The attorneys in this case were not aware of the stringent interpretation that our court has placed on DR 7-110(A) of the former Code of Professional Responsibility or the inferences drawn from the general language of the new Rules of Professional Conduct that became effective November 15, 1988. The disciplinary board itself recognizes in its letter of transmittal that if the issue of deterring the individual lawyer from similar infractions were alone considered, "there is little question that a private reprimand would have served this purpose in all of the cases." I do not believe that the severe sanctions imposed will be necessary to deterrence. I further do not believe that such sanctions will in the long run restore public confidence in the administration of justice. Therefore, I respectfully dissent. [1] The complaints were originally filed in the name of Frank A. Carter, Jr., who has retired as disciplinary counsel. We have substituted the name of his successor as disciplinary counsel, Mary M. Lisi. [2] The Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline is composed of fourteen members that have the authority under G.L. 1956 (1985 Reenactment) § 8-16-1 to investigate judicial misconduct and competence. [3] We append to this opinion portions of the disciplinary board's transmittal letter to this court and also the General Memorandum used by the board in its deliberations. The appendices serve two purposes. They will supplement the individual decisions rendered by the board, which decisions will become available to the public with our publishing of this opinion. They will also show the careful and thorough consideration that the disciplinary board gave to the adjudication of the complaints against the various respondent attorneys. [4] In re Lane, 127 Ill. 2d 90, 129 Ill.Dec. 101, 535 N.E.2d 866 (1989). [5] In re Powell, 126 Ill. 2d 15, 127 Ill.Dec. 749, 533 N.E.2d 831 (1988). [6] Matter of Garson, 98 A.D.2d 581, 471 N.Y.S.2d 331 (1984); Matter of Gerber, 98 A.D.2d 593, 471 N.Y.S.2d 610 (1984). [7] In re Litman, 272 N.W.2d 264 (Minn. 1978). [8] In re Weinstein, 131 Ill. 2d 261, 137 Ill.Dec. 72, 545 N.E.2d 725 (1989). [1] The board was originally formed on May 1, 1975. It is composed of nine members. Each member serves without compensation for a three-year term.