In th e S u p re m e Co u rt o f Ge o rg ia

De c id e d: S e p te m b e r 1 2

, 2 0 1 6

S1 6 Y1 6 01 . IN THE MATTER OF C. MICHAEL ROS E.

P ER CURIAM.

Th is m a tte r is be fo re th e Co u rt o n th e re p o rt a n d re c o m m e n da tio n o f th e

sp e c ia l m a ste r, 1 wh o re c o m m e n d s th a t a tto rn e y C. Mic h a e l Ro se (S ta te Ba r No

.

6 1 4 17 3 ) b e disb a rre d fo r h is m isu se o f fu nd s th a t h e h e ld in tru st. R ose

a c k n o wle d g e d se rv ic e o f th e fo rm a l c o m p la in t

, b u t h e fa ile d to file a n a n swe r

a s re q u ire d b y Ba r Ru le 2 1 2 ( a ), a n d so

, th e sp e c ia l m a ste r fo u nd Ro se in

d e fa u lt. By v irtu e o f h is d e fa u lt, Ro se a d m itte d th a t h e a gr e e d t o c l o se a re a l

e sta te tra n sa c tio n in Ap ril 2 0 1 4 ; a s a p a rt o f th a t c lo sin g

, h e wa s e n tru ste d with

$ 3 ,5 4 9 .0 8 b y th e se lle r a

n d $ 1 1 3 ,1 6 2 .6 3 by t h e b u y e r, wh ic h h e d e p osite d in

se p a ra te tru st a c c o u n ts; h e fa ile d to p ro m p tly p a y o ff th e se lle r’s m o rtg a g e ; h e

e ith e r m isu se d th e fu n d s h e ld in tru st fo r t h e re a l e sta te tra n sa c tio n fo r th e

b e n e fit o f o th e r c lie nts or c o m m in g le d th o se fu n ds with h is o wn fu n d s; h e fa ile d

to a c c o u n t fo r th e fu n d s; a n d a lth o u g h h e e v e n tu a lly p a id off th e se lle r’s

1 This Court appointed W illiam Allen My ers as special m aster in this case.m o rtg a g e

, h e d id so o n ly a fte r th e se lle r file d a la ws u i t a g a i n st h im

, a n d e v e n

th e n

, h e ha d to d e p o sit h is o wn fu n d s in to h is tru st a c c o u n t to m a k e th e p a y m e n t.

Th e sp e c ia l m a st e r c o n c lu d e d th a t, b y h is c o n d u c t, Ro se v io la te d Ru le s

1 .1 5 (I), 1 .1 5 (II), a nd 8 .4 (a ) (4 ) o f th e Ge o rg ia Ru le s o f P ro fe ssio n a l Co n d u c t,

Ba r Ru le 4 -1 0 2 (d ), th e m a x im u m sa n c tio n fo r w h ic h is d isb a rm e n t. Th e sp e c ia l

m a ste r n o te d th a t Ro se ha s n o p rio r d isc ip lin a ry h isto ry

, b u t h e a lso fo u n d th a t

th e v i ola tio n s in th is c a se we re a g gra va te d by Ro se ’s d isre g a rd o f th e

d isc ip lin a ry p ro c e ss. We a g re e with th e fin din g s o f th e sp e c ia l m a ste r, a n d a s to

m itig a tio n

, we wo u ld a d d th a t Ro se fa ile d to p ro vid e th e sp e c ia l m a ste r (o r th is

Co u rt) with a n y m itig a tin g e xp la n a tio n o f h is c o n d u c t. Ac c ord in gly

, we a gre e

wi t h t h e sp e c ia l m a ste r th a t d isb a rm e n t is a pp ro p ria te

. S e e g e ne ra lly In th e

Ma tte r o f W a th e n

, 2 9 0 Ga

. 43 8 (7 2 1 S E2 d 8 9 9 ) (2 0 1 2 ) (d isb a rrin g a tto rn e y fo r

v io la tio n s o f se v e ra l Ru le s, in c lu d in g Ru le s 1 .1 5 (I)-(II) a n d 8 .4 (a ) (4 ), wh e re

a tto rn e y c o nv e rte d c lie nt fu n d s t o h is o w n u se a n d sh owe d in d iffe re n c e to

m a k in g re stitu tio n

, a lth o ug h a tto rn e y ’s p a rt n e rs m a d e re stitu tio n to c lie n t).

Co m p a re In th e Ma tte r o f Jo n e s, 2 8 0 Ga

. 30 2 (6 2 7 S E2 d 2 4 ) (2 0 0 6 ) (im p o sin g

a on e -y e a r su sp e nsio n fo r u sin g firm ’s e sc ro w a c c o u n t fu n d s to p a y p ro m isso ry

n o te fo r a se pa ra te bu sin e ss wh e re n o c lie n ts we re h a rm e d a n d wh e re a tto rn e y

2c o o p e ra te d fu lly

, m a de re stitu tio n

, wa s d e e p ly re m orse fu l, a n d h a d n o

d isc ip lin a ry h isto ry ).

It is h e re b y o rd e re d th a t th e n a m e o f C

. Mi c h a e l R o se b e re m ov e d fro m

th e ro lls o f p e rso n s auth o riz e d to p ra c tic e la w in th e Sta te o f Ge o rg ia

. Ro se is

re m in de d o f h is d u tie s p u rsu a n t to Ba r Ru le 4 -2 1 9 (c ).

Disb a rre d . All th e Ju stic e s c o n c u r.

3