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

De c id e d: Oc to b e r 5 , 2 0 1 5

S 1 5 Y1 2 8 8 . IN THE MATTER OF HUGH O. NOWELL.

P ER CURIAM.

Th is d isc ip lin a ry m a t t e r is b e fo re th e Co urt o n th e Re p o rt a n d

Re c o m m e nd a tio n o f th e sp e c ia l m a ste r, Cu rtis L. Hu b b a rd

, Jr., re c o m m e n d in g

th a t th e Co urt a c c e p t th e p e t i t i o n fo r v o lu n ta ry disc ip lin e file d b y H u g h O.

No we ll (S ta te Ba r N o

. 54 73 7 5 ), wh ic h wa s file d a fte r th e S ta te B a r file d a

fo rm a l c o m

pla in t.

No we ll b e c a m e a m e m

b e r o f th e Ba

r in 1 9 7 9

. Th e fa c ts, a s a d m itte d b y

h im a n d a s fo u n d b y th e sp e c ia l m a ste r fo llo win g a h e a rin g

, sh o w th a t in Ma y

2 0 1 2 a n d Ja n u a ry 2 0 1 3, No w e ll te stifie d fa lse ly in tw o d e p ositio n s th a t we re

t a k e n in a c iv il su it file d a g a in st a c o rp o ra te e n tity a n d se v e ra l te sta me n t a r y

tru sts; No we ll wa s g e n e ra l c o u n se l a n d/o r a n offic e r a t th e re le v a n t tim e s o f th e

c o rp ora te e n tity a nd wa s tru ste e o f th e tru sts. Th e fa lse te stim o n y wa s m a te ria l

to th e m e r i t s o f th e litig a tio n

, a n d No we ll ga v e th e te stim on y k no win g it wa s

fa l s e b e c a

u se h e b e lie v e d th a t tru th fu l a n swe rs wo u ld h e lp th e p la in tiff a n dwo u ld h u rt th e d e fe n da n ts with wh o m h e wa s a ffilia te d. S e ve ra l m o n th s a fte r

th e se c o nd de po sitio n , No we ll c a m e to e xp e rie n c e g re a t re m o rse a nd

, in Ap ril

2 0 1 3, su b m itte d to th e c ou rt a n a ffid a vit c o n fe ssin g to a n d c o rre c tin g h is fa lse

te stim o n y

. In Ma y 20 13

, No w e ll se lf-re p o rte d h is m isc o nd uc t to th e S ta te Ba r.

In Ju n e 2 0 1 3

, h e wa s d e p o se d a g a in a n d te stifie d tru th fu lly

. Th e tria l c o u rt in

th a t c a se u ltim a te ly gra n te d su m m a ry ju d g m e nt a g a in st th e p la in tiff, fo r re a so n s

u n re la te d to No we ll’s fa lse te stim o n y

. No we ll’s d isc lo su re to th e tria l c o u rt o f

h i s m i s co n d u c t wa s o f h is o wn v o litio n

, a n d b ut fo r h is c o m in g fo rwa rd

, h is

m isc o nd u c t c o u ld h a v e re m a in e d u n disc o v e re d

.

Th e sp e c ia l m a ste r c o n c l u d e d, a n d we a g re e

, th a t No we ll a c te d with a

d ish o n e st m o tiv e a n d v io la te d Ru le s 4 .1 (a ) a n d 8 .4 (a ) (4 ) of th e Ge o rg ia Ru le s

o f P r o f e s s i o n a l Co n d u c t fo u n d in Ba r Ru le 4 -1 0 2 (d ), b o th o f wh ic h a re

p u n ish a b le by d isb a rm e n t. Th e r e a r e

, h o we ve r, se v e ra l m itig a tin g fa c to rs:

No we ll ha s n o p rio r d isc ip lin e ; h e m a d e a tim e ly g o o d fa ith e ffo rt to re c tify th e

c o n se q u e n c e s of h is m isc o n d u c t; h e m a d e a fu ll a n d fre e d isc lo su re a n d wa s

c o o p e ra tiv e in th e disc ip lin a ry p ro c e e d in g s; h e h a s a p ro fe ssio n a l re p u ta tio n fo r

tru th fu ln e ss, in te g rity

, a n d fa ir a n d h o n e st d e a lin gs, a s sh own by th e e v id e n c e

a t th e h e a rin g ; a nd h e h a s d e m o n stra te d g re a t re m o rse fo r h is c o n d u c t.

2In lig h t o f th e se m iti g a tin g fa c to rs a n d re ite ra tin g th a t we d e c id e e a c h

d isc ip lin a ry c a se “ o n its o wn fa c ts,” In th e Ma tte r of S k an d a la k is, 2 79 G a

. 8 6 5

,

8 6 6 (6 2 1 S E2 d 7 5 0 ) (2 0 0 5 ), we c on c lu d e th a t th e sp e c ia l m a ste r’s

re c o m m e n d a tio n o f a two -m o n th s u s p e n s io n an d a pu blic re p rim a n d is th e

a p p ro p ria te o n e . S e e g e n e ra lly , In th e Ma tte r o f Wilk in so n , 2 8 4 G a

. 5 4 8 (6 6 8

S E2 d 7 0 7) (2 00 8 ) (p u b lic re p rim a n d a n d o n e -m o nth su sp e n sio n wh e re a tto rn e y

a d m itte d wro ng d o in g in a llo win g fa lse sta te m e n ts to b e m a d e to two trib u n a ls);

In th e Ma tte r o f Wrig ht, 29 1 Ga

. 8 4 1 (7 3 2 S E2 d 2 75 ) (2 0 1 2 ). (p u b lic re p rim a n d

a n d six -m o n th su sp e nsio n wh e re a tto rn e y m a d e fa lse sta te m e n ts to t w o

trib u n a ls, b u t re fu se d t o a d m it wro n g d o in g ). As th e sp e c ia l m a ste r n o te d

,

“ [m ] e m b e rs o f th e Ba r sh o u ld b e e n c o ura ge d to re p ort th e ir own m isc on d u c t, to

ta k e su b sta n tiv e re m e d ia tin g a c tio n s o n th e ir o wn in itia tiv e

, a n d to v o lu n ta rily

a c c e p t th e disc ip lin a ry c o n se q u e n c e s o f th e ir a c tio n s[, a n d th e ] im p o sitio n o f to o

se v e re a p e n a lty wo u ld

in a p p ro p ria te ly [h in de r] th a t g o a l.”

Ac c o rd in g ly

, it is h e re b y o rd e re d th a t Hu g h O. No w e ll b e su sp e n de d fro m

th e p ra c tic e o f la w in th e S ta te o f G e o rg ia fo r a pe rio d o f two m o n th s, e ffe c tiv e

a s o f th e d a te of th is op in io n

. Ad d itio n a lly

, th e Co u rt h e re b y o rd e rs th a t No w e ll

b e a d m in iste re d a

p u b lic re prim a n d in op e n c o u rt p u rsu a n t to B a r Ru le s 4 -1 0 2

3(b ) (3 ) a n d 4 -2 2 0 (c ). N o we ll is re m in d e 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 ).

P e titio n fo r v o lu n ta ry d isc ip lin e a c c e p te d

. T w o -m o n th su sp e n sio n a n d

p u b lic re p rim a

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

4