Title: The Florida Bar v. Corbin
Citation: 701 So. 2d 334
Docket Number: 88276
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: October 30, 1997

701 So. 2d 334 (1997)
THE FLORIDA BAR, Complainant,
v.
Bill A. CORBIN, Respondent.
No. 88276.

Supreme Court of Florida.
October 30, 1997.
John F. Harkness, Jr., Executive Director and John T. Berry, Staff Counsel, Tallahassee; and Luain T. Hensel, Bar Counsel, Tallahassee, for Complainant.
John A. Weiss of Weiss &amp; Etkin, Tallahassee, for Respondent.
PER CURIAM.
We have for review the complaint of The Florida Bar (the Bar) and the referee's report regarding alleged ethical breaches by Bill A. Corbin. We have jurisdiction. Art. V, § 15, Fla. Const.
The referee made the following findings of fact based on evidence presented at the disciplinary hearing:
It is true that Mr. Corbin had no responsibility to litigate the Williams' case for them. But on a Motion for Summary Judgment, he, as an officer of the Court, represented to the Court that there was no genuine issue as to any material fact, and he knew there was a genuine issue as to a *336 material fact, and that was the payment of rent for those five months.
Based on these findings of fact, the referee reached the following conclusions concerning guilt:
Corbin seeks review of the referee's findings that he deliberately misrepresented material facts to the court when he filed the motion for summary judgment and that he submitted an affidavit he knew to be false. Further, Corbin contends that the referee wrongly concluded that he deliberately tried to mislead the Bar when he made a misstatement in his initial response to the Bar. We disagree.
Our review of the record shows that competent substantial evidence supports the referee's findings of fact and conclusions concerning guilt and accordingly "this Court is precluded from reweighing the evidence and substituting its judgment for that of the referee." Florida Bar v. MacMillan, 600 So. 2d 457, 459 (Fla.1992). Furthermore, a party contesting the findings and conclusions "carries the burden of demonstrating that there is no evidence in the record to support those findings or that the record evidence clearly contradicts the conclusions." Florida Bar v. Spann, 682 So. 2d 1070, 1073 (Fla.1996). Corbin has failed in this burden. We adopt the referee's findings of fact and conclusions concerning guilt.
Based on the above violations of the disciplinary rules, the referee recommended that the following disciplinary action be taken against Corbin:
Corbin seeks review of the recommended discipline, arguing that a six-month suspension is unduly harsh and that a public reprimand is more appropriate. We agree. As we have noted:
Florida Bar v. Lecznar, 690 So. 2d 1284, 1288 (Fla.1997). In the present case, however, the referee's recommended discipline is in conflict with existing caselaw.[1] We find ninety days' suspension appropriate on this record.[2]
Bill A. Corbin is hereby suspended for ninety days from the practice of law in Florida. The suspension will be effective thirty days from the filing of this opinion so that he can close out his practice and protect the interests of existing clients. If Corbin notifies this Court in writing that he is no longer practicing and does not need the thirty days to protect existing clients, this Court will enter an order making the suspension effective immediately. Corbin shall accept no new business from the date this opinion is filed until suspension is completed.
Pursuant to the provisions of Rule Regulating The Florida Bar 3-5.1(g), upon receipt of this order of suspension, Corbin shall forthwith furnish a copy of the order to all his clients with matters pending in his practice. Furthermore, within thirty days of receipt of this order, Corbin shall furnish staff counsel of the Bar with a sworn affidavit listing the names and addresses of all clients who have been furnished copies of the order. Judgment for costs in the amount of $3,098.50 is hereby entered in favor of The Florida Bar against Bill A. Corbin, for which sum let execution issue.
It is so ordered.
KOGAN, C.J., and OVERTON, SHAW, GRIMES, HARDING, WELLS and ANSTEAD, JJ., concur.
[1]  The Court has imposed lesser discipline where an attorney has made a false statement to a court. See, e.g., Florida Bar v. McLawhorn, 535 So. 2d 602 (Fla.1988) (imposing public reprimand); Florida Bar v. Sax, 530 So. 2d 284 (Fla. 1988) (imposing public reprimand). See also Florida Bar v. Fatolitis, 546 So. 2d 1054 (Fla. 1989) (imposing public reprimand for forging wife's name as a witness); Florida Bar v. Story, 529 So. 2d 1114 (Fla.1988) (imposing thirty-day suspension for improperly notarizing will); Florida Bar v. Morrison, 496 So. 2d 820 (Fla.1986) (imposing ten-day suspension for discrepancy in testimony before grievance committee). Deliberate lack of candor has resulted in lesser discipline. See, e.g., Florida Bar v. Wright, 520 So. 2d 269 (Fla.1988) (imposing public reprimand for lying during discovery); Florida Bar v. Batman, 511 So. 2d 558 (Fla.1987) (imposing public reprimand for testifying falsely); Florida Bar v. Shapiro, 456 So. 2d 452 (Fla.1984) (imposing ninety-day suspension for filing false motion to dismiss with forged signature); Florida Bar v. Oxner, 431 So. 2d 983 (Fla.1983) (imposing sixty-day suspension for twice lying to judge to obtain a continuance). The existence of a prior disciplinary record is not dispositive. See, e.g., Florida Bar v. Kaplan, 576 So. 2d 1318 (Fla.1991) (imposing public reprimand where the attorney had three prior private reprimands); Florida Bar v. Riskin, 549 So. 2d 178 (Fla.1989) (imposing public reprimand where the attorney had a prior private reprimand).
[2]  It was improper for the referee to consider in aggravation the fact that Corbin refused to acknowledge the wrongful nature of his conduct. Corbin's claim of innocence cannot be used against him. Florida Bar v. Lipman, 497 So. 2d 1165, 1168 (Fla.1986) ("We agree ... that it is improper for a referee to base the severity of a recommended punishment on an attorney's refusal to admit alleged misconduct or on `lack of remorse' presumed from such refusal.").