Opinion ID: 2254014
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Representation of Martha Hayden

Text: In count I of the complaint the Administrator alleged that Cutright (1) breached his fiduciary duty to his client; (2) engaged in a conflict of interest by representing a client when the representation was materially limited by the lawyer's responsibilities to another client (134 Ill.2d R. 1.7(b)); (3) engaged in conduct involving fraud, dishonesty, deceit, or misrepresentation (210 Ill.2d R. 8.4(a)(4)); and (4) engaged in conduct which tends to defeat the administration of justice or to bring the courts or the legal profession into disrepute in violation of Supreme Court Rule 770 (210 Ill.2d R. 770). All of the allegations in this count arise from Cutright's representation of Martha Hayden (Hayden) which commenced in 1993 when Hayden asked him to prepare her will. She also asked him to prepare a document to forgive a debt owed to her by the Cochonours, a wealthy Cumberland County family. During this time, Cutright also represented Ruth Cochonour, the executor of the estate of Clark Cochonour. Triple C Thorostock, an entity in which Clark Cochonour and his three sons were principals, owed Hayden $312,900. Cutright did as Hayden requested and prepared a will for her which forgave the entire debt owed by the Cochonours and left the remainder of her estate to her two nieces. When Cutright explained that the will would take effect only upon her death, she asked him to draft a document that would forgive the Cochonours' debt immediately. He did so, and Hayden signed the document. At the time Cutright drafted these documents for Hayden, she was 86 years old. Cutright testified that he believed that she was of sound mind and competent. However, numerous friends and family members, as well as Hayden's physician, testified that Hayden was often confused and had little short-term memory. Hayden's physician also testified that in 1993, Hayden was in the second stage of Alzheimer's disease. He testified that while she did have periods of lucidity, he did not believe that she could have executed a will or a cancellation of a note in February 1993. Hayden died of a stroke caused by Alzheimer's disease in 2001. In a later will contest, the circuit court found the will invalid based on Hayden's lack of testamentary capacity. During his testimony before the Hearing Board, Cutright testified that he never inquired as to the financial status of Hayden's estate. He indicated that he believed that he knew the extent of her property based on his previous dealings with her family in 1966 and the early 1970s. Unbeknownst to Cutright, Judge Robert Cochonour, the son of Clark Cochonour, was a signatory on Hayden's checking account and had aright of survivorship on the account. [1] Cutright testified that he had no knowledge of Judge Cochonour or anyone else influencing Hayden's decisions. After Hayden died, Judge Cochonour was convicted of stealing money from the estate of Jay HaydenHayden's predeceased sonwhere he served as the executor. With respect to count I of the complaint, the Hearing Board found that Cutright violated Rule 1.7(b) by representing Hayden when his representation was materially limited by his responsibilities to the Cochonour estate. The Hearing Board further determined that Cutright's conduct tended to bring the legal profession into disrepute, in violation of Supreme Court Rule 770. However, the Hearing Board found that the Administrator failed to establish that Cutright knew or should have known that Hayden was incompetent to make decisions about her finances and her estate. Relying on the evidence that Cutright was acting in accordance with Hayden's wishes when he cancelled the Cochonours' $312,900 debt, the Hearing Board found that Cutright did not breach his fiduciary duty to Hayden. The Hearing Board also found no evidence of fraud or dishonesty in Cutright's dealings with Hayden. The Review Board agreed with the Hearing Board that Cutright engaged in a conflict of interest. However, the Review Board found, contrary to the Hearing Board, that he did breach his fiduciary duty to Hayden by canceling the debt owed by the Cochonour family, without making any inquiry into Hayden's financial circumstances. The Review Board determined that there was no dispute that Cutright owed Hayden, his client, a fiduciary duty.