Opinion ID: 1611604
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Counts I and IIThe Immigration Matter

Text: In late 1996, Lex Magauen Joseph retained respondent to represent him in an ongoing immigration proceeding. Specifically, Mr. Joseph, who is a citizen of St. Lucia, had sought to have his immigration status in the United States adjusted to that of a permanent resident by virtue of his marriage to an American citizen. [1] In March 1997, respondent filed with the Immigration Court an application for adjustment of Mr. Joseph's status. The court proceeding was then continued for a period of several months to allow time for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to process the Immigrant Visa Petition (Form I-130) filed on behalf of Mr. Joseph, without approval of which the court could not consider granting the application for adjustment of status. Mr. Joseph's case was subsequently set for a status hearing on August 7, 1997. On June 9, 1997, respondent filed a motion to reset the August 7 hearing, stating that she would be unavailable on that date. Respondent also represented to the court that the motion was not opposed by John Carté, the Assistant District Counsel for the INS. In fact, however, in a previous telephone conversation with respondent, Mr. Carté had voiced his unequivocal objection to respondent's request to reset the hearing, and he so indicated in the written opposition he filed with the court on June 11, 1997. The court ultimately denied respondent's motion based on Mr. Carté's opposition, and the August 7 hearing went forward as scheduled. When the presiding judge, United States Immigration Judge Jeffrey Zlatow, confronted respondent at the hearing concerning her false representation that her motion was not opposed, her response was simply to complain about the relevancy of the matter to the issue of Mr. Joseph's application for adjustment of status. Respondent then began to demand that the court decide the application for adjustment of status immediately. [2] When Judge Zlatow inquired of respondent whether Mr. Joseph's Immigrant Visa Petition had been approved, she told him that it had been approved, but in fact, it had not. Judge Zlatow informed respondent that he would be forced to deny Mr. Joseph's application for adjustment of status in the absence of an approved Immigrant Visa Petition. When respondent persisted in her argument that the Immigrant Visa Petition had been approved, Judge Zlatow asked her to produce an approval notice which would substantiate her assertion. In response, respondent showed the judge a copy of a notice informing Mr. Joseph that he would be required to appear for an interview with the INS in connection with the adjudication of his Immigrant Visa Petition. Judge Zlatow patiently and repeatedly explained to respondent that the notice of interview form is not a notice of the approval of the Immigrant Visa Petition; nevertheless, respondent continued arguing with Judge Zlatow that the Immigrant Visa Petition had been granted and that the application for adjustment of status was ripe for the court's consideration. Judge Zlatow reminded respondent that he would be forced to deny Mr. Joseph's application for adjustment of status in the absence of an approved Immigrant Visa Petition, and asked respondent whether she was certain she wanted a ruling on the application that day. When respondent replied in the affirmative, Judge Zlatow turned to Mr. Joseph, explained the situation, and asked him whether he wished to have respondent continue to represent him. Respondent interjected and refused to allow Judge Zlatow to speak with her client. She also continued to argue with Judge Zlatow about the approval of the Immigrant Visa Petition and the court's adjudication of Mr. Joseph's application for adjustment of status, and began to demand that the court accept for filing certain exhibits that she wished to present. Finally, Mr. Joseph spoke up and advised the court that he wanted to terminate respondent's representation. Mr. Joseph also told Judge Zlatow that respondent had ignored his earlier instructions that she request a continuance of the case pending approval of the Immigrant Visa Petition. Judge Zlatow ordered respondent to leave the courtroom and referred the matter to the INS for an investigation as to respondent's qualifications and her conduct during the course of the proceeding. Judge Zlatow also granted Mr. Joseph a continuance of his case so that he could obtain new counsel. On February 6, 1998, a petition seeking attorney discipline was filed against respondent by the Office of the General Counsel of the INS. The petition charged that respondent violated 8 C.F.R. § 292.3 [3] when she willfully engaged in the following conduct in the course of her representation of Mr. Joseph: 1. The first count charges that respondent falsely represented to the court that her Motion to Reset Hearing was not opposed by the Assistant District Counsel for the INS. 2. The second and third counts charge that respondent misled Judge Zlatow and her client as to the status of Mr. Joseph's Immigrant Visa Petition. 3. The fourth count charges that respondent misled Judge Zlatow when she falsely represented to the court that Mr. Joseph wanted the court to rule on his application for adjustment of status, when in fact, Mr. Joseph had instructed respondent to request a continuance of the matter. 4. The fifth and six counts charge that during the August 7, 1997 hearing, respondent made frivolous legal arguments having no basis in law or fact and engaged in contumelious or otherwise obnoxious conduct before Judge Zlatow. In her answer to the petition, respondent admitted the first, second, fourth, and fifth counts are true; she did not answer the third count and complained the sixth count is vague and incomprehensible. Respondent also attacked Judge Zlatow, whom she accused of violating the Code of Judicial Conduct by, among other things, failing to be patient, dignified, and courteous during the Joseph case. [4] After consideration of the record of the proceedings, the Chief Immigration Judge, Michael J. Creppy, found the charges against respondent were established by clear, convincing and unequivocal evidence. By order dated June 2, 1998, respondent was suspended from practice before the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the INS for a period of five years. The ODC was notified of the sanctions against respondent by letter from Peggy Philbin, General Counsel of the United States Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review. Respondent failed to provide a substantive response to the complaint. As a result, the ODC requested that respondent give a sworn statement concerning the matter. Respondent refused, asserting that the ODC does not have the authority to depose her. A subpoena was then issued for respondent's appearance on November 18, 1998. Although the subpoena was personally served on respondent, she did not appear. Instead, on the day of the sworn statement, respondent filed with this court a motion to quash the subpoena. We denied the motion on November 24, 1998. In re: Complaint No. 7811, 98-2880 (La.11/24/98). [5] The ODC alleges that respondent's conduct in the immigration matter violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: Rules 1.1 (failure to provide competent representation to a client), 1.2 (scope of the representation), 1.3 (failure to act with diligence and promptness in representing a client), 1.4 (failure to communicate with a client), 3.1 (meritorious claims and contentions), 3.3 (candor toward the tribunal), 3.4(c) (knowing disobedience of an obligation under the rules of a tribunal), 3.5(c) (engaging in conduct intended to disrupt a tribunal), 8.1(b) (knowing failure to respond to a lawful demand for information from a disciplinary authority), 8.1(c) (failure to cooperate with the ODC in its investigation), 8.4(a) (violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct), 8.4(c) (engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation), 8.4(d) (engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice), and 8.4(g) (failure to cooperate with the ODC in its investigation).