Case Name: James A. DODD, Attorney at Law, Petitioner, v. THE FLORIDA BAR, Respondent
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1960-02-03
Citations: 118 So. 2d 17
Docket Number: 
Parties: James A. DODD, Attorney at Law, Petitioner, v. THE FLORIDA BAR, Respondent.
Judges: HOBSON, THORNAL and O’CON-NELL, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 118
Pages: 17–21

Head Matter:
James A. DODD, Attorney at Law, Petitioner, v. THE FLORIDA BAR, Respondent.
Supreme Court of Florida.
Feb. 3, 1960.
Rehearing Denied March 7, 1960.
Richard H. Hunt, Miami, for appellant.
Marshall R. Cassedy, Tallahassee, for ap-pellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
James A. Dodd, an attorney, has petitioned this Court to review a judgment of disbarment entered by the Circuit Court of Dade County.
Petitioner's principal contention before us is that the "highly suspect, conflicting evidence" presented by the State Attorney does not prove the charges made against him by a clear preponderance and therefore does not warrant his permanent and total disbarment from the practice of law.
In the motion to disbar,, filed by the State Attorney pursuant to an order of a circuit judge so directing, petitioner was charged with having urged and advised several persons, including his clients, to give false testimony in two personal injury actions in the Circuit Court of Dade County, in which actions petitioner represented the plaintiffs. The two cases mentioned in the motion to disbar are hereinafter referred to as the Barton and Cass cases.
At the trial the evidence failed to sustain the charges as to the Cass case and the State Attorney announced the State's abandonment of the charge as it pertained to that case. Evidence was presented as to the actions of petitioner in the Barton case, and in addition thereto, over objection of petitioner, the trial judge allowed the testimony of a Mrs. Nautness as to actions of petitioner in a case in which petitioner had represented her. The motion to disbar did not charge petitioner with any misconduct in the Nautness case. When Mrs. Nautness began her testimony as a witness for the State, petitioner objected and the trial judge stated that the testimony would be admitted in rebuttal of petitioner's "testimony to the contrary".
In addition to his principal contention before us petitioner argues that it was error to admit the testimony of Mrs. Nautness.
We agree with petitioner that the last mentioned testimony should not have been admitted.
Nevertheless, on careful review of the evidence we find that there is sufficient evidence to establish a clear preponderance of guilt of misconduct of the petitioner in the Barton case.
The punishment awarded petitioner for his misconduct in the order under review is disbarment. Petitioner argues that this is too severe under the facts of this case.
Petitioner points out that this is his first infraction of the ethics of his profession, that he has already been punished and discredited through wide publication of the unfortunate facts of this case, and that he has already closed his law office. Attention is called to a citation he received during the last war for bravery, and that as a result of his courage he suffered injuries to the extent that he"is now 70% disabled. In view of these facts and circumstances petitioner argues that disbarment is too severe a penalty.
In opposition to this.plea there are the express findings of the afyle trial judge who after hearing the evidence and observing the witnesses, including petitioner, said in his order of disbarment :
"This is not merely a case in which a defendant has enlarged upon or exaggerated items claimed while negotiating with an adversary. This is a case in which the evidence is uncontra- dieted that certain substantial items in several instances have been asserted by defendant, although he then knew that such items did not in fact exist.
It is incredible under the circumstances outlined in the record that defendant's clients and office personnel could have, on a number of occasions, fabricated claims without the approval or direction of the defendant.
"Our Supreme Court has held that disbarment should be resorted to only in cases where the lawyer demonstrates an attitude or course of conduct wholly inconsistent with approved professional standards. There has been such a demonstration of persistence in unprofessional conduct in this case and it would be contrary to the public interest to allow the defendant to continue as a member of the bar. The court has no alternative but to order disbarment."
On the facts of this case we cannot say that disbarment is too severe punishment.
The primary function of trial court proceedings is to find the truth, i. e., the true facts, in disputes between man and his neighbor and man and his government, in order that the applicable law may be applied thereto so as to reach a just conclusion. In our system the courts are almost wholly dependent on members of the bar to marshal and present the true facts of each cause in such manner as to enable the judge or jury to cook the adversary contentions in a crucible and draw off the material, decisive facts to which the law may be applied.
When an attorney adds or allows false testimony to be cast into the crucible from which the truth is to be refined and taken to be weighed on the scales of justice, he makes impure the product and makes it impossible for the scales to balance.
No breach of professional ethics, or of the law, is more harmful to the administration of justice or more hurtful to the public appraisal of the legal profession than the knowledgeable use by an attorney of false testimony in the judicial process. When it is done it deserves the harshest penalty.
We must point out that in circumstances such as found to exist here the witness or the party litigant who testifies falsely is no less guilty of misconduct'than the lawyer. All persons are charged with equal regard for the truth. An honest layman will seldom if ever perform a dishonest act at the urging of his lawyer and even if he does he must be held accountable therefor.
If all responsibility for the false acts of the witness or client is allowed to be shifted to the attorney the result will be to encourage, not discourage, false testimony. Further, it is likely to increase the number of situations in which a witness or litigant, when charged with having given false testimony, seeks to shift the responsibility for his acts to his attorney by claiming that the attorney advised him to testify falsely.
The order of disbarment is affirmed.
HOBSON, THORNAL and O'CON-NELL, JJ., concur.
TERRELL and DREW, JJ., concur specially.
THOMAS, C. J., dissents because of the opinion that the judgment is too severe.
ROBERTS, J., dissents and concurs with THOMAS, C. J.