Opinion ID: 1256160
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Count3 Complaint of Nancy Christensen

Text: Ms. Nancy Christensen retained Mr. Wheaton to represent her in a suit against the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in June 1998. When Mr. Wheaton determined that the case was not proceeding toward mediation as hoped, Ms. Christensen tendered $150.00 to Mr. Wheaton to cover the costs of filing a civil action. After several attempts to check on the status of her case, Ms. Christensen received a letter from Mr. Wheaton dated July 5, 2000, wherein he indicated he had unilaterally rejected a proposed settlement offer in the amount of $5,000.00. The letter also indicated that mediation was the best way to proceed and that the court had removed the case from its docket. The same letter also questioned whether a federal Torts Claim Act form had been completed and whether the failure to do so would preclude an action in the court system. After receipt of the letter, Ms. Christensen attempted to see Mr. Wheaton to discuss her case. She arrived at Mr. Wheaton's office for a scheduled meeting; however, Mr. Wheaton never appeared. Ms. Christensen returned home and called the courthouse. She then discovered that no civil action had been filed on her behalf against the Veteran Affairs Medical Center. In light of the foregoing misconduct, the Board found that Mr. Wheaton violated Rule 1.3 [14] of the Rules of Professional Conduct by failing to pursue a matter for which he was retained; by falsely representing that he had filed a civil action when, in fact, he had not; and by failing to protect his client's claim against the statute of limitations. Mr. Wheaton's failure to return Ms. Christensen's phone calls, failure to provide her with information about her case, and failure to advise her regarding the status of the filing of her case resulted in a violation of Rule 1.4 [15] of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Moreover, Mr. Wheaton's unilateral rejection of a proposed settlement offer without advising Ms. Christensen of the same violated Rule 1.2(a) [16] of the Rules of Professional Conduct. The Board also found that Mr. Wheaton violated Rule 3.2 [17] of the Rules of Professional Conduct by his dilatory practices and failure to make reasonable efforts consistent with his discussions with Mr. Christensen. Furthermore, the Board found that Mr. Wheaton violated Rule 1.16 [18] of the Rules of Professional Conduct by failing to pursue the matter on behalf of Ms. Christensen, by failing to withdraw from representation when he chose not to perform legal services, and by failing to refund the advanced payment of the fee that was not earned. Finally, the Board found that Mr. Wheaton violated Rule 8.4 [19] of the Rules of Professional Conduct when he falsely represented to Ms. Christensen that he had, in fact, filed a civil action on her behalf.