Opinion ID: 2615622
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: full and fair response

Text: ¶ 14 The Bar Association alleges that the respondent failed to make a full and fair disclosure of all the facts pertaining to his alleged misconduct in response to the initial grievance, in violation of Rule 5.2, RGDP, and Rule 8.1(b), ORPC. The respondent answers that these allegations were not included in the Complaint, and not raised until the Bar Association filed its brief-in-chief. The respondent asserts that raising this issue for the first time on appeal is improper and violates his right to due process. He cites State ex rel. Oklahoma Bar Association v. Lobaugh, 1988 OK 144, ¶ 15, 781 P.2d 806, 811 that due process in disciplinary proceedings contemplates a fair and open hearing with notice and an opportunity to present evidence and argument. ¶ 15 The Bar Association responds that the first time the issue was raised was at the hearing before the trial panel, as a result of a question asked by one of the members of the panel. The Bar Association offered an exhibit, to which the respondent stated he had no objection, which revealed that the respondent initially denied to the Bar Association that he had falsely endorsed Captain Sexton's name on the settlement check. [5] The Bar Association argues that the respondent waived any objections he may have had to the admission of the evidence, and the additional allegation of violation asserted in the Bar Association's brief. The Bar Association cites State ex rel. Oklahoma Bar Association v. Eakin, 1995 OK 106, ¶ 15, 914 P.2d 644, 650, to support the rule that a respondent's failure to object operates to waive an error, even where the Bar Association had not previously pled the issue in the complaint. ¶ 16 We agree that the respondent was not given sufficient notice of the Bar Association's intention to pursue this issue, but the respondent should have objected to the introduction of the evidence, and therefore waived the error. However, the Professional Responsibility Tribunal in its report to this Court, made no finding concerning this allegation. We do not wish to encourage the late hour presentation of evidence in bar proceedings that raises a new issue which could have been pled in the initial complaint. In exercise of this Court's discretion in our de novo [6] consideration of the record, we exclude this issue from our consideration of discipline for the respondent.