Opinion ID: 1718430
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Count VII The Ross Matter

Text: In the summer of 2004, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ross hired respondent to represent them in a property matter. They paid respondent $2,000 as an advance deposit against his future fees and $200 as payment of filing fees in connection with the lawsuit he was to file on their behalf. Respondent immediately converted the $200 to his own use and consumed the $2,000 without placing same in his client trust account. In August 2004, respondent filed the lawsuit on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Ross but failed to pay the necessary filing fees. Thus, the defendant was never served with the suit. Respondent failed to inform his clients of the status of the suit despite their repeated efforts at communication. On at least one occasion, respondent misled Mr. and Mrs. Ross into believing the suit had been served and a preliminary default would soon be entered because the defendant did not answer the suit. Respondent failed to respond to the ODC's notice of Mr. and Mrs. Ross' complaint against him, necessitating the issuance of a subpoena to take his sworn statement. The ODC alleges that respondent's conduct violated Rules 1.4 (failure to communicate with a client), 8.1(c) (failure to cooperate with the ODC in its investigation), 8.4(a), 8.4(b), and 8.4(c) of the Rules of Professional Conduct.