Opinion ID: 2366076
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Should disciplinary counsel have been disqualified?

Text: ¶ 6 King argues disciplinary counsel, Scott Busby, should have been disqualified for lack of appearance of fairness. King filed a motion to disqualify Busby at the disciplinary proceeding, but the hearing officer did not rule upon it. King now argues that Busby should have been disqualified and that the hearing officer erred when he failed to rule upon King's motion. ¶ 7 King alleges that Busby had impermissible ex parte contact with the Board. Br. of Att'y at 5. But his argument is based on supposition and conjecture, weaving together a chronology of events from several different proceedings to arrive at the unsupported conclusion that Busby had ex parte contact with the Board. There being no support for King's argument, we reject it. ¶ 8 In addition, the hearing officer did not err in declining to rule on King's motion to disqualify Busby. King served his motion by mail just one day before the hearing officer released his findings of fact and conclusions of law. Clerk's Papers (CP) at 115. It is not clear that the hearing officer even received the belated motion before he released his findings of fact and conclusions of law. ¶ 9 King has not demonstrated disciplinary counsel engaged in misconduct warranting disqualification, and the hearing officer did not err in issuing his findings of fact and conclusions of law without ruling on King's late-filed motion to disqualify.