Title: Plaintiff v. Defendant
Citation: 106 N.J. 542, 524 A.2d 813
Docket Number: N/A
State: new-jersey
Issuer: new-jersey Supreme Court
Date: May 6, 1987

106 N.J. 542 (1987) 524 A.2d 813 IN THE MATTER OF DANIEL J. SCAVONE, AN ATTORNEY-AT-LAW. The Supreme Court of New Jersey. Argued March 17, 1987. Decided May 6, 1987. *543 Collette A. Coolbaugh, Executive Counsel, argued the cause on behalf of Disciplinary Review Board. Morris M. Schnitzer argued the cause for respondent. PER CURIAM. This matter comes to us on the recommendation of the Disciplinary Review Board (DRB) that the license to practice law of respondent, Daniel J. Scavone, be revoked. When respondent applied for admission to the bar, he misrepresented to the Committee on Character (Committee) in an answered questionnaire that he had not been "disciplined, reprimanded, suspended, expelled or asked to resign from any educational institution." *544 Apparently, the Committee staff had misplaced the law school certificate known as Form # 3 that is part of the application for admission to the bar. The law school, St. Louis University, had completed the form by answering "Yes" to question two: "Was this individual the subject of disciplinary action, hearings, suspension, or was there any other factor which would pertain to this individual's fitness to practice law?" Through an oversight, the Committee certified that respondent was fit to be admitted to the bar, and he was admitted on December 20, 1984. Thereafter, the facts came to light, and the matter was presented to this Court. We remanded it to the Committee, which conducted a hearing, at which respondent was represented by counsel. The Committee concluded that respondent should be sanctioned but did "not recommend any particular sanction in view of the fact that such a recommendation is not within this Committee's jurisdiction." The Committee forwarded its report to the DRB, which conducted a second hearing at which respondent was also represented by counsel. The DRB recommended "that respondent's license to practice law be immediately revoked." We agree. The DRB summarized the facts as they were developed before it and the Committee: Our independent review of the record leads us to conclude that the factual findings of the DRB are correct, and we adopt them. Both the DRB and respondent agree that respondent's license should be terminated. They disagree, however, whether it should be "revoked" because respondent provided a deceitful answer to question XII-A or "rescinded" because of a mutual mistake whether St. Louis University had informed the Committee that respondent had "resigned" from the University of Pennsylvania. Underlying that disagreement is their differing perceptions of the significance of respondent's negative answer to question XII-A that inquired, among other things, whether respondent had ever been asked to resign from a law school. Respondent contends that he was not asked to resign from the University of Pennsylvania and, therefore, that he correctly answered question XII-A in the negative. He points out the difference between question XII-A and question two on Form 3. The distinction he draws is that question XII-A did not solicit from him a response about "any other factor" that would pertain to his "fitness to practice law." In our opinion, those distinctions bespeak respondent's continuing misunderstanding of the need for candor from lawyers, a need that is expressed in the "IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATE" in the application. As the Committee found, respondent knew that if he "stayed there [at the University of Pennsylvania] there would be disciplinary proceedings brought against me * * *." In short, he knew he was facing probable expulsion. It was applicant's duty to assure that the Committee was informed about his deceitful conduct at the University of Pennsylvania, and he should not have relied on St. Louis University to provide that information. Although he persisted before the DRB in stating he was correct in answering "no" to question XII-A, he also acknowledged he would now answer "yes" or "no" with an *553 explanation. In fact, when he applied to St. Louis University, he answered a question substantially similar to XII-A in the negative with a supplemental answer. Although an affirmative answer or a negative one with an explanation would have alerted the Committee to the problems concerning respondent's application, we believe the appropriate response would have been for respondent to have stated affirmatively that he had been asked to resign. Such an answer is more consistent with respondent's acknowledgment that if he had remained at the University of Pennsylvania, he would have been disciplined for lying on his application for admission and for misrepresenting his grades and LSAT scores on his resume. Our conclusion that respondent failed to disclose material facts to the Committee brings this case in line with prior decisions. See Application of Jenkins, 94 N.J. 458 (1983); Application of Matthews, supra, 94 N.J. 59. In Jenkins, the failure of a candidate to disclose material facts to the Committee led us to conclude that he was not fit to practice law. So it is in this case. Candor and honesty are a lawyer's stock and trade. Truth is not a matter of convenience. Sometimes lawyers may find it inconvenient, embarrassing, or even painful to tell the truth. Nowhere is this more important than when an applicant applies for admission to the bar. "In all instances, the applicant must display complete candor in all filings and proceedings required by the Committee on Character." Application of Matthews, supra, 94 N.J. at 82. Anyone who does not grasp that fundamental proposition should not be a lawyer. As we wrote in Matthews: According to his testimony, applicant vacillated between answering question XII-A in the affirmative or in the negative. His older brother, a member of the New Jersey bar, advised him to answer in the affirmative. Yet, respondent decided to answer the question in the negative, a decision that he still defends. Viewed against the background of his deceitful conduct at the University of Pennsylvania, respondent's inability to tell the truth about himself demonstrates his lack of good moral character and his unfitness to practice law. See Application of Jenkins, supra, 94 N.J. at 458. We do not know if respondent will ever be rehabilitated. Toward the end of the hearing before the DRB, however, respondent manifested some rudimentary grasp of the need for candor. He said that in working on securities matters, We do not foreclose the possibility that at some time respondent may be able to demonstrate his fitness to practice law. Application of Jenkins, supra, 94 N.J. at 472. Such a demonstration must be sufficient to overcome the strong presumption of continuing unfitness caused by his lack of candor. Ibid.; Application of Matthews, supra, 94 N.J. at 83. Respondent's license to practice law is revoked without prejudice to his right to present to the Committee additional evidence concerning his rehabilitation. Id. at 84. Respondent is to reimburse the Ethics Financial Committee for appropriate administrative costs, including the costs of transcripts. *555 For revocation Chief Justice WILENTZ and Justices CLIFFORD, HANDLER, POLLOCK, O'HERN and STEIN 6. Opposed None. The Disciplinary Review Board having filed a report with the Supreme Court recommending that DANIEL J. SCAVONE of WALDWICK, who was admitted to the Bar of this State in 1984, be disciplined, and good cause appearing; It is ORDERED that DANIEL J. SCAVONE'S license to practice law be revoked, effective May 20, 1987; and it is further ORDERED that effective May 20, 1987, DANIEL J. SCAVONE is restrained and enjoined from practicing law; and it is further ORDERED that respondent comply with Administrative Guideline No. 23 of the Office of Attorney Ethics; and it is further ORDERED that DANIEL J. SCAVONE reimburse the Ethics Financial Committee for appropriate administrative costs, including the costs of transcripts. [1] In its recommendation, the DRB omitted part of the Committee's report that we find relevant to our decision: We are convinced that Mr. Scavone fully realized that if he wasn't being asked to "resign" in the technical sense, the request from Pennsylvania was tantamount to demanding such action. In his explanatory statement to the University of St. Louis he said: "The Law School's position was clear either I withdraw or most likely face expulsion". But, even if we were to disregard his attitude at the time when he answered the question in the negative, which obviously displayed a lack of fairness and candor in dealing with the courts under the circumstances, we are as troubled by his present attitude displayed before the Committee at the hearing at which time he continued steadfastly to defend his action. In this respect, having been concerned as to how to answer the question in 1984 for a period of two weeks, having then rejected his New Jersey attorney's advice to answer the question affirmatively, and to defend himself now before the Committee and to rely upon another party (in this case the University of Saint Louis Law School to furnish the truthful facts), displays a present lack of judgment and ability to be candid and truthful in a professional manner. In our view, especially in light of the aforequoted "Important Instructions to Candidate" should have required Mr. Scavone to provide all information no matter how unfavorable to the Committee on the form he personally was required to complete. A defense that a fairly detailed question did not precisely embrace his particular factual situation does not excuse a fundamental requirement that he be as truthful and candid as possible. We find no excusable conduct in not furnishing directly the true facts when he was in fact "permitted" rather than "asked to resign" from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. His reliance upon his belief that the Law School would provide the accurate information which he chose not to do only serves to reflect adversely upon his continuing duty to show good character.