Opinion ID: 1926278
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: ODC's Response to Reardon's Objections

Text: ODC did not separately object to the Board's Final Report but instead filed a response, at the Court's request, to the objections filed by Reardon. In its response, ODC disputes Reardon's position that Wolhar was the real cause of the injury to Reardon's client in the Atlantic Roofing case. ODC concedes that Wolhar's inaction exacerbated the problem but argues that Reardon's failure to ensure the accuracy of the stipulation he signed was, in the first instance, the underlying cause of his client's injury. Moreover, ODC argues that, although Pierce and Miller suffered no monetary loss as a result of Reardon's misconduct, the entry of a default judgment against them is an injury in and of itself, and the default judgment might have been avoided if Reardon had affirmatively declined to accept the representation. ODC also disputes Reardon's assertion that these two cases are dissimilar and therefore cannot constitute a pattern of misconduct. ODC argues that the pattern established by these two cases is one of inattention, carelessness, and failure to act with reasonable diligence and promptness. With respect to Reardon's argument that a suspension is an unduly punitive sanction, ODC concedes there are mitigating factors in this case that weigh in favor of a reduction of a more punitive period of suspension in excess of six months. Nonetheless, given Reardon's disciplinary record and the nature of his office practices, which led to these most recent serious violations, the ODC contends that a six month suspension is not unduly punitive. Moreover, the ODC asserts in its supplemental response that the public reprimand and probation Reardon received in 1997 for failing to pay taxes was too lenient a sanction. The ODC concludes that, [a]lthough the two instant cases do not, in isolation, appear to require suspension, the 1997 permissive sanction tips the balance in favor of a more severe sanction in the pending cases.