Opinion ID: 2084607
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: A. Petitioner's exception.

Text: We note that this Court has original and complete jurisdiction over attorney disciplinary proceedings. See Attorney Grievance Comm'n v. Glenn, 341 Md. 448, 470, 671 A.2d 463, 473 (1996). From our independent review of the record, we must determine whether the relevant findings of the hearing judge are based on clear and convincing evidence. The hearing court's findings of fact are prima facie correct and will not be disturbed unless they are shown to be clearly erroneous. Attorney Grievance Comm'n v. White, 354 Md. 346, 354, 731 A.2d 447, 452 (1999), (citing Attorney Grievance Comm'n v. Garland, 345 Md. 383, 392, 692 A.2d 465, 469 (1997)). Petitioner excepts to Judge Kavanaugh's conclusion that Respondent did not violate Rule 8.4(d) in that Respondent did not engage in fraud or intentional deceit when she represented to Judge Craven that her client had filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Petitioner submits that the Respondent's conduct, even when viewed as negligent rather than intentionally fraudulent, constitutes conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. Rule 8.4(d) is violated when the conduct which forms the basis of the Attorney Grievance Commission's charge was prejudicial to the administration of justice. Attorney Grievance Comm'n v. Clark, 363 Md. 169, 183, 767 A.2d 865, 873 (2001). The conduct which Petitioner regards as a violation of Rule 8.4(d) was Respondent's representation in the District Court that a bankruptcy case had been filed when, at the time of the representation, it had not been filed in fact. For a finding that Respondent's misrepresentation was prejudicial to the administration of justice, the misrepresentation must have been intentional. See Attorney Grievance Comm'n v. Mooney, 359 Md. 56, 78, 753 A.2d 17, 29 (2000) (citing Attorney Grievance Comm'n v. Clements, 319 Md. 289, 298, 572 A.2d 174, 179 (1990)) (finding it necessary to establish that the dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation is intentional to prove a violation); see e.g., Attorney Grievance Comm'n v. White, 354 Md. 346, 363, 731 A.2d 447, 457 (1999) (stating that perjury committed by an attorney admitted to practice in this state constitutes conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice and violates Rule 8.4(d)). In Attorney Grievance Comm'n v. Myers, 333 Md. 440, 443, 635 A.2d 1315, 1316 (1994), an attorney was found to have violated Rules 3.3(a)(1) and 8.4(c) of the Rules of Professional Conduct when he misrepresented his driving record in response to a question posed by a District Court judge. A hearing was held at which the Respondent testified that he did not deliberately intend to deceive the trial judge when he misrepresented his driving record. The hearing court, however, found the Respondent's testimony to be different from his prior testimony and concluded that based on clear and convincing evidence, [Respondent] did deliberately misrepresent his record to the District Court judge. While in the case at hand the Respondent did misrepresent both fact and law to Judge Craven, Mr. Coleman and Ms. Wright, Judge Kavanaugh did not find by clear and convincing evidence that Respondent engaged in intentional deceit. Respondent indicates in her Motion to Dismiss that her testimony in the District Court was based on her mistaken belief that the Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition, which she had prepared and given to her law clerk for filing in December 1997, had been filed at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Respondent supports that belief by stating that the law clerk had made a notation in her office file that he had in fact filed for Respondent's clients, the Kowkabis. The evidence that seemingly convinced Judge Kavanaugh that Respondent's misrepresentations were not intentionally misleading was the fact that Respondent subsequently told Mr. Coleman on January 28th that the escrow funds should be released even though Mr. Coleman heard the clear ruling of Judge Craven when he denied Respondent's Motion to Quash the Garnishment. Furthermore, Respondent told Mr. Coleman that she was planning to call Ms. Wright to release the escrow and she told Ms. Wright to verify her representations with Mr. Coleman. Judge Kavanaugh considered these later statements and found them to be inconsistent with the conduct of one who intended to mislead. Judge Kavanaugh concluded that it is inconceivable that Respondent would have alerted opposing counsel of her plans to have the escrow funds released when these same counsel had full knowledge and cognizance of the court's ruling denying her Motion to Quash. We conclude that the hearing judge's findings are not clearly erroneous. This case is distinguishable from Attorney Grievance Comm'n v. Ficker, 319 Md. 305, 572 A.2d 501 (1990), a case upon which Petitioner relies. In that case, this Court held that a single failure to appear in court violates both the rule prohibiting lawyers from neglecting legal matters entrusted to them and the rule prohibiting lawyers from engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. The circumstances in Ficker, however, are quite different from those under review here and included a pattern of negligence and habitual violation(s) of Disciplinary Rule 1-102, the predecessor to Rule 8.4(d). Patterns of negligence and habitual misconduct are not present in the instant case. In Ficker, the record reflected that the attorney knew precisely when court appearances were scheduled, but negligently failed to be present. Such a level of knowledge cannot be shown here. The facts credited by Judge Kavanaugh support her conclusion that Respondent was mistaken in her belief that a bankruptcy petition had been filed on behalf of her client at the time she represented a petition had been filed, but such mistake and the subsequent misrepresentation to the court and to opposing counsel were not made with knowledge of the falsity of the statement. The evidence supports Judge Kavanaugh's finding that Respondent did not deliberately misrepresent both fact and law to Judge Craven, Mr. Coleman and Ms. Wright, nor did she engage in a pattern of negligence.