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

De c id e d: F e b ru a ry 1 6 , 2 0 1 5

S 1 5 Y0 0 2 1

. IN THE MATTER OF RODD WALTON.

S 1 5 Y0 0 2 2

. IN THE MATTER OF RODD WALTON.

P ER CURIAM.

Th e se d isc ip lin a ry m a tte rs a re b e fo re th e Co u rt o n two No tic e s o f

D i sc ip lin e file d b y th e Sta te Ba r a g a in st R e sp o nd e n t Ro dd Wa lto n (S ta te Ba r

No

. 7 3 64 9 0 ). Ea c h no tic e c h a rg e d Wa lto n w ith v io la tin g m u ltip le p ro v isio n s o f

th e G e o rg ia Ru le s o f P ro fe ssio n a l Co n d u c t, se e Ba r Ru le 4- 1 0 2 (d ). Th e S ta te

Ba r se e k s Wa lto n ’s d isb a rm e n t, a n d we a gre e th a t d isb a rm e n t is th e a p p ro p ria te

d isc ip lin e in th e se c a se s.

Wa lto n

, wh o o n ly p ro v id e d a po st o ffic e bo x a d dre ss to th e S ta te Ba r’s

Me m b e rsh ip De p a rtm e n t, fa ile d to a c k n o wle d ge se rv ic e w ith in twe n ty d a y s o f

th e No tic e s o f Disc ip lin e h a v in g b e e n m a ile d to h is p o st o ffic e b o x

.

Ac c o rd in g ly

, h e wa s p ro p e rly se rv e d b y p u b lic a tio n p u rsu a n t to Ba r Ru le 4 -2 0 3

(b ) (3 ) (ii). He fa ile d to file No tic e s o f Re je c tio n an d th e re fo re is in d e fa u lt, ha s

n o rig h t to a n e v id e n tia ry h e a rin g

, an d is su b je c t to su c h d isc ip lin e a s m a y b ed e te rm in e d b y th is Co u rt, se e Ba r Ru le 4 -2 0 8 .1 (b ).

S 1 5 Y 0 0 2 1

By v irtu e o f h is de fa u lt, Wa lto n a d m its th a t a c lie nt re ta in e d h im in 2 0 1 2

fo r re p re se n ta tio n re g a rd in g th e in ve stig a tio n of a se c o n d m ortg a g e o n p ro p e rty

a wa rd e d to th e c lie nt’s e x -wife in a d iv o rc e

. Th e c lie n t p a id Wa lto n a fe e o f

$ 1 ,0 0 0 fo r th a t ta sk

. Wa lto n fa ile d to p ro v id e a ny d o c u m e n ta tio n to in d ic a te th a t

h e pe rfo rm e d th e w o rk

. N e ve rth e le ss, in Ju ly a nd Au g u st 20 12

, th e c lie n t p a id

W a lto n a d d itio n a l fe e s to ta lin g $ 1 1 ,6 0 0. Th ose fe e s we re fo r re p re se n ta tio n

re g a rd in g a c o n te m

p t a c tio n a g a in st th e c lie n t, e x c e p t th a t $ 5,0 0 0 wa s to b e

p la c e d in e sc ro w fo r u se in h irin g a n a tto rn e y in No rth Ca ro lin a

, if n e c e ssa ry

, o n

a p ro b a te m a tte r. No f

u n d s we re p a id to th e a tto rn e y in No rth Ca ro lin a a s h is

se rv ic e s we re n o t n e e de d. In No v e m b e r 2 0 1 2

, th e c l i e n t p r o v id e d a c a sh ie r’s

c h e c k in th e a m o u n t o f $2 4 ,0 0 0 to Wa lto n th a t wa s to b e u se d a s fo llo ws:

$ 1 5

, 0 0 0 wa s to b e p a id to a n o p p o s i n g p a rty to o b ta in th e re le a se o f a n

a u t o mo b ile th a t wa s in d isp u te in c iv il litig a tio n ; $7

, 0 0 0 w a s to b e p a i d t o t h e

c lie n t’s e x -wife to re so lv e c o n t e mp t issu e s; a n d $ 2 ,0 0 0 w a s fo r a d d itio n a l

a tto rn e y fe e s to Wa lto n . Wa lto n d id n o t a p p e a r fo r th e fin a l c on te m p t he a rin g

,

a n d th e c lie n t wa s in c a

rc e ra te d fo r fa ilin g to p a y th e $ 1 5 ,0 0 0 p e r a p rio r c o n se n t

2o rd e r. Wa lto n h a s fa ile d to a c c o u n t fo r th e fu n d s th a t w e re p ro v id e d t o h im to

b e p a id to o th e r p a rtie s, a n d h a s c o n v e rte d th o se fu nd s to h is o w n u se . Wa lto n

h a s n o t re sp o n d e d to th e In v e stig a tiv e P an e l in th is m a tte r. He a pp e a rs to h a v e

a b a n d o n e d h is la w p ra c tic e a n d h a s n o t p ro v id e d th e S ta te Ba r with h is c u rre n t

a d d re ss. Th e B a r su b m its th a t th is c o n d u c t v io la te s Ru le s 1 .3

, 1.4

, 1 .5

, 1 .1 5 (I)

a n d (II), a n d 9 .3

.

S 1 5 Y 0 0 2 2

By v irtu e o f h is de fa u lt, Wa lto n a d m its th a t a c lie nt re ta in e d h im in 2 0 1 0

to re p re se n t h e r re g a rd in g a Ju n e 2 0 1 0 a u to m o b i l e a c c i d e n t in wh ic h sh e

su ffe re d in

ju rie s. Wa lto n se n t a d e m an d l e t t e r to th e in su re r in Ma y 2 0 1 1

,

ite m iz in g sp e c ia l d a m a g e s in th e a mo u n t o f $9 7,0 8 6 .2 6 a n d d e m a n d in g

se ttle m e n t in th e a m o u n t o f $3 2 0 ,3 8 4

. 0 6

. In Ju ly 20 11 th e c lie n t sig n e d a lim ite d

re le a se fo r se tt l e m e nt in th e a m o u n t o f $ 2 5 ,0 0 0

, b u t sh e h a d n o fu rth e r

su b sta n tiv e c o m m

u n ic a tio n fro m Wa lto n d e sp ite h e r re p e a te d e ffo rts to c o n ta c t

h im b y te le p h o n e , e -m a il a nd m a il. Wa lto n d id n ot p ro v id e th e c lie n t with a n y

in fo rm a tio n a s to h is re c e ip t o f th e se ttle m e n t p ro c e e d s o r th e d isb urse m e n t o f

su c h p ro c e e d s, a

n d h e did n o t c o m m

u n ic a te with h e r re g ard in g th e sta tu s o f h is

e ffo rts to se e k c o m

p e n sa tio n u n d e r he r un d e rin su re d m o to rist c o ve ra g e

. Th e

3c lie n t h a s no t re c e iv e d a n y se ttle m e n t p ro c e e d s, a n d h e r m e d ic a l b ills h a v e n o t

b e e n p a id

. In Ma r c h 2 0 1 4

, th e c lie n t se n t a le tte r to Wa lto n te rm in a tin g th e

re p re se n ta tio n a n d re qu e stin g h e r file

, b u t re c e iv e d n o re sp o n se

. Wa lto n h a s n o t

re sp o n d e d to th e In v e stig a tiv e P a n e l in th is m a tte r a n d

, a s n o te d a b o v e

, a p p e a rs

to h a ve a b a nd o n e d his la w p ra c tic e

. Th e B a r su b m its th a t th is c o n d u c t v io la te s

Ru le s 1

. 3 , 1 .4 , 1 .1 5 (I), 1 .1 6 , a n d 9 .3

.

Alth o u g h t h e I n v e stig a tiv e P a n e l a d m its th a t Wa lto n h a s n o p rio r

d isc ip lin a ry h i s t o r

y

, i t a sse rts th a t disb arm e n t is wa rra nte d b e c a u se Wa lto n a c te d

willfu lly a n d dish o n e stly in a b a nd o n in g th e le ga l m a tte rs e n tru ste d to him

, a n d

in c o n v e rtin g fid u c ia ry fu n d s a n d/o r se ttle m e n t p ro c e e d s to his own u se

. It a lso

a rg u e s th a t d isb a rm e n t is wa rra n te d b e c a use th e se two m a tt e rs d e m o n stra te a

p a tte rn o f m isc o n d u c t.

Ba se d o n ou r re v i e w o f th e re c o rd

, we c o nc lu d e th a t disb a rm e n t is th e

a p p ro p ria te sa n c tio n in th e se m a tte rs. Ac c o rd in g ly

, it is h e re b y o rd e re d th a t th e

n a m e o f Ro d d Wa lto n b e re m o v e d fro m th e ro ll s o f pe rso ns a u th o riz e d to

p ra c tic e la w in th e S ta te o f Ge o rg ia

. Wa lto n is re m in d e d of h is du 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.

4