Opinion ID: 2499272
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Representation of Caraghar

Text: While riding her bicycle in Denver on September 4, 2008, Caraghar was struck by a car, injuring her shoulder. On September 15, 2008, she hired Respondent on a contingency basis to file claims against the driver of the vehicle who hit her and the driver's insurer. [56] Shortly thereafter, Caraghar accompanied Respondent's paralegal to the accident site, where he took photographs. Caraghar testified that she promptly visited an orthopedist and sent Respondent copies of her MRI results and photographs of her wounds. Caraghar then experienced a great deal of trouble in contacting Respondent to check on the status of her case. Within a few months, she concluded he was not interested in talking to her because, even though she called his office weekly, her messages often were not returned. When she eventually received his cell phone number, she was able to speak to him a couple of times, but it appeared that he did not remember the facts of her case. Respondent informed Caraghar on one occasion that he had sent relevant documentation to the driver's insurer, although she did not receive copies of those materials. As time passed, their communication deteriorated further, such that, in Caraghar's view, there was absolutely no response at all. Respondent concedes that some of Caraghar's messages went unanswered and that communication problems occurred in the spring and early summer of 2010. He said Caraghar had every right to feel upset with him because he did not have a good plan for how to stay in touch with clients when he was out of the office. However, he rejects her claim that he was unfamiliar with her case. Respondent recalls that he spoke with Caraghar multiple times about his communication with the insurance adjuster, subrogation issues, and the proper timeframe for resolving her case. According to Respondent, if Caraghar were to undergo surgery after having settled the case, she would be obligated to reimburse her insurer for all of the costs of the surgery. Respondent testified that he explained to her the importance of reaching maximum medical improvement and deciding whether to have surgery before negotiating a settlement. On July 13, 2010, Caraghar sent Respondent a letter by certified mail, noting that she had been unable to reach him by phone and that messages she left on his office and cell phones had educed no response. [57] She stated, On those few occasions when I have managed to speak with you, you have offered assurances that you have made progress with the insurance company and should be hearing something soon, but as the months, and now almost 2 years go by, my confidence in your efforts has been shaken. [58] She therefore asked Respondent to provide her an accounting of the work he had performed on her behalf within two weeks. [59] Caraghar did not receive a response from Respondent within the two-week period, so on August 12, 2010, she requested that the People investigate the matter. She explained at the disciplinary hearing that she contacted the People because she felt abandoned and she wanted help extricating herself from her contract with Respondent. On August 21, 2010, after receiving both a letter from the People and a copy of Caraghar's grievance, Respondent contacted Caraghar. [60] According to Respondent, they then met to review his progress and their plan of action, and he believed he had reassured her that her case was progressing. Respondent testified that he and Caraghar prepared a settlement offer of $75,000.00 and that they received an initial counter-offer of approximately $4,000.00 and a second counter-offer of $6,000.00. Respondent contends Caraghar refused to accept this amount, while Caraghar recalls Respondent adjudged the offer inadequate. Respondent testified that he then advised Caraghar to determine whether her shoulder had been permanently injured; on that recommendation, she again visited an orthopedist, who performed an MRI that revealed additional tearing in her shoulder. Although Respondent gave some impression of renewing his efforts on Caraghar's case, she did not trust that he was in fact doing so. As a result, she consulted with another attorney, with whose assistance she terminated Respondent's representation in February 2011. The statute of limitations for Caraghar's claims was to run in early September 2011, but as of the disciplinary hearing, her case remained unresolved. The People allege Respondent acted without the requisite diligence and promptness in representing Caraghar in violation of Colo. RPC 1.3. Specifically, they claim that Respondent made no significant progress on her case over a period of two years and that he failed to request copies of her medical records from her treating physician. But the People did not adduce any evidence or elicit any testimony showing that Respondent failed to request copies of Caraghar's medical records; to the contrary, Respondent testified that he had in fact obtained those records. Nor did the People clearly and convincingly demonstrate that Respondent's efforts on Caraghar's behalf were dilatory. Respondent testified that settling too soon would place Caraghar at financial risk because expenses from any subsequent surgery would come out of her own pocket. Given the evolving nature of Caraghar's injury reflected in her 2010 MRI, Respondent's argument appears to be logical, and the People have not provided us any basis to determine that this strategy was detrimental to Caraghar. Thus, we find no violation of Colo. RPC 1.3. We have little trouble, however, concluding Respondent breached his duties to communicate with Caraghar. Although Respondent's communication efforts may have passed muster during certain portions of the representation, he utterly failed in that regard in the spring and summer of 2010. As Respondent admitted, a number of Caraghar's calls went unanswered and he did not timely respond to the letter she wrote him on July 13, 2010, in which she requested an accounting of his work on her case. We find this conduct amounts to a violation of Colo. RPC 1.4(a)(3) and 1.4(a)(4).