Opinion ID: 1536896
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Disciplinary Inquiries and Proceedings

Text: 24. As indicated above, Ms. Fisher-Hammond filed a bar complaint against Respondent in early 2001. The complaint was docketed on February 6, 2001. Tr. 74; BX 8. In connection with her complaint, Ms. Fisher-Hammond provided Bar Counsel with the disbursement sheet Respondent had provided her (with her handwritten annotations), the Equifax credit report, the collection agency's letter, and a bill sent by Maryland Orthopedics in 2000 at her request (Tr. 62). BX 8 at 2-10. 25. Bar Counsel mailed a letter to Respondent on February 12, 2001 enclosing the complaint materials from Ms. Fisher-Hammond and requesting a written response to the complaint by February 22, 2001. BX 8, 9A. Bar Counsel requested that Respondent provide, inter alia, his office file, including any records reflecting the deposit and disbursement of the settlement proceeds and any records memorializing or reflecting the basis for his fee. Id. Bar Counsel addressed the letter to 2620 28th St. N.E., Washington, D.C. XXXXX-XXXX, one of two addresses Respondent had registered with the D.C. Bar as his address of record. BX 9A. No response was received from Respondent, and Bar Counsel's letter was not returned. BX 9 at 1. 26. Also on February 12, 2001, Bar Counsel arranged to serve Respondent personally with the complaint both at the 28th Street address and at the other address Respondent had listed with the D.C. Bar, 1730 K Street N.W., Suite 304, Washington, DC XXXXX-XXXX. BX 9B, 9C. Bar Counsel's personal service attempts were unsuccessful at both addresses. BX 9B, 9C. 27. On March 15, 2001, Bar Counsel wrote to Respondent by first-class mail at the K Street address, notifying him that the due date for his response had expired and that he was required to submit a written response to the inquiry within five days. BX 9 D. 28. On March 20, 2001, Bar Counsel received a facsimile transmission from Respondent in which he acknowledged receipt of Bar Counsel's letter dated March 15, 2001. BX 9E; RX 3. Respondent requested a 30-day extension of the deadline to allow him to locate the file and answer. BX 9E; RX 3. 29. On March 23, 2001, Bar Counsel wrote to Respondent by regular mail granting his request for a 30-day extension, to April 19, 2001. BX 9F. Respondent did not respond within that time frame. BX 9 at 2. 30. On May 1, 2001, Bar Counsel filed a motion to compel Respondent's substantive response to her inquiry with the Board on Professional Responsibility (the Board). BX 9. 31. On May 13, 2001, Respondent filed an opposition to Bar Counsel's motion, using the same K Street address to which Bar Counsel's earlier, unanswered correspondence had been directed. BX 9B, 9C, 10. In his opposition, Respondent stated that he had received no notice until now of any disciplinary complaint and contended that he has no affirmative duty to make himself available to be served in a matter of which he has no knowledge. BX 10 at 1. These statements to the Board were misleading in view of Respondent's having received and responded to Bar Counsel's March 15, 2001 letter and having discussed the bar complaint with his client in April 2001. [8] Respondent made reference in his submission to a robbery/theft which occurred in his office some years ago and stated that the relevant files may not be available for that reason. Id. at 1-2. (As noted above, Respondent had indicated to Ms. Fisher-Hammond that her file might not be available on account of a fire.) Respondent requested a second 30-day extension from the Board, until June 12, 2001, within which to respond to Bar Counsel's inquiries. Respondent thereafter failed to provide a response within the 30 days. BX 11 at 4. 32. Bar Counsel filed a reply on May 21, 2001, disputing a number of the factual and legal contentions adduced by Respondent in his opposition. BX 11. The reply was mailed to Respondent at the K Street address. Id. at 6. 33. On July 30, 2001, the Board ordered Respondent to provide a substantive response to Bar Counsel's inquiries within 10 days. BX 12. 34. On August 2, 2001, the Court of Appeals issued its decision ( Anderson I ) suspending Respondent for six months as a result of a misappropriation that occurred in connection with an unrelated settlement of a case for a different client in 1993. In that case, Respondent claimed that he had simply forgotten to pay the medical providers because of confusion with respect to yet another unrelated settlement.
35. By letter dated August 10, 2001, Respondent provided a substantive written response to Ms. Fisher-Hammond's disciplinary complaint contending that he had paid Ms. Fisher-Hammond's medical bills and had closed the file. BX 7. More specifically, he stated that I received a check in the amount of ($14,338.37) . . . From the proceeds an attorney's fee of one third of the bodily injury amount received was charged [sic] and the remainder paid for medical expenses and medical expenses [sic]. The total owed to Maryland Orthopedics was compromised by the amounts paid by Ms. Hammond's automobile carrier and then further reduced by negotiation. The balance totaling [$7,802.00] was paid to Ms. Hammond. Thereafter I spoke to each provider regarding their expenses and arrived at the amount owed. Checks were issued and the file closed thereafter. I have received no correspondence or calls from the medical providers in her case and believe that they were paid. During the period I had assistance in my office by way of a clerical person who did not advise me that any calls or inquiries were made in regards to payment on this file from any source. My office was broken into on several occasions and eventually the building was sold requiring me to move to a new location. I transferred my phone line there for a period in excess of one year. At no time did I receive a call from Dr. Launder or Ms. Hammond in regards to non-payment of any medical bills resulting from treatment in this case. I did not receive additional billing during this period. BX 7 at 2. 36. Respondent enclosed with his substantive response the contents of [his] file. Tr. 264. Although Bar Counsel had requested that Respondent provide all records reflecting deposit and disbursement of the settlement proceeds and/or showing the basis for his fee, no such records appeared in Respondent's submission. BX 7. Specifically absent from the submission were (i) an engagement agreement between himself and Ms. Fisher-Hammond, (ii) the settlement disbursement sheet, (iii) bank records reflecting the deposit and disbursement of the funds in question, and (iv) any documentation of the payments he claimed to have made to the medical providers. Id. The only financial record Respondent produced was a copy of the face of the $14,338.37 settlement check drawn to the order of Ms. Fisher-Hammond and Respondent. BX 7 at 16.
37. Almost four years later, and approximately nine years after the disbursements in question, Bar Counsel issued a Specification of Charges and a Petition Instituting Formal Disciplinary Proceedings against Respondent. BX B (issued June 9, 2005). Bar Counsel made numerous attempts to serve these charging documents upon Respondent, and the process servers left multiple messages at his office requesting response, all to no avail. BX 16. Bar Counsel obtained an order authorizing service by alternative means from the Court of Appeals on October 28, 2005 and published notices on November 2 and 3, 2005. BX 17-19. Bar Counsel obtained proof of personal service of the Specification and Petition on November 2, 2005. BX D.
38. Respondent's Answer was received on November 21, 2005. 39. A pre-hearing conference was held on January 20, 2006. 40. A hearing on the merits was held on February 28, 2006. The Committee heard evidence on the violations charged by Bar Counsel and, after retiring into executive session, found prima facie evidence of violations of the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct. Tr. 422. Bar Exhibits A-D, 1-12, and 20 were admitted into evidence, Tr. 148, and Bar Exhibit 21 was marked for identification only, Tr. 139-150. 41. Upon resumption of the hearing, Bar Counsel submitted seven exhibits in aggravation, some over the objection of Respondent. BX 13-19. These exhibits were admitted into evidence, to be given the weight they deserve. Tr. 436. Respondent offered no exhibits in mitigation. Bar Exhibit 21 was not offered into evidence. Bar Exhibit 22 was offered and admitted into evidence. Tr. 402-406. 42. Respondent neglected to move his four exhibits into evidence at the hearing and sought leave by motion after the hearing to do so. The motion was not opposed by Bar Counsel, and the exhibits were admitted into evidence. The parties both submitted post-hearing briefs. 43. The Hearing Committee issued its unanimous Report and Recommendation on January 24, 2007 finding that all of the charges were proven by clear and convincing evidence and recommending disbarment.
44. After receiving extensions of time and obtaining substitute counsel, Respondent filed his exceptions to the Report and Recommendation of the Hearing Committee on April 27, 2007. Respondent's brief admits the misappropriation but claims it resulted from record-keeping negligence and was not reckless or intentional and urges a six month suspension in lieu of disbarment. 45. Bar Counsel filed an opposing brief on May 11, 2007, urging that the Board affirm the recommendation of the Hearing Committee and recommend to the Court that Respondent be disbarred for non-negligent misappropriation and dishonesty. Bar Counsel urged the Board to take into account all of Respondent's prior disciplinary history for purposes of recommending an appropriate sanction. 46. On May 24, 2007, oral argument was presented to the Board and the matter was submitted.