Opinion ID: 1132505
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Mervin Anderson Incident

Text: The commission found: On December 11, 1979, Judge Kaufman ordered defendant Mervin Anderson to pay a fine of $65 and an attorney fee of $25 by January 14, 1980. On January 15, the clerk refused to accept Anderson's check for $65 in payment of the fine only. Anderson consulted his assigned public defender, Edward Van Gelder, who advised Anderson to write fine only on the check and retender it to the clerk, and further advised the clerk that the check should be accepted. The clerk accepted the check, credited it to the fine, and reported the matter to petitioner the next day, January 16. On January 16, petitioner who was angry at what he believed was public defender interference with enforcement of attorney fee orders, had a conversation with Van Gelder on the subject. He told Van Gelder that Judge Kaufman's fee order was wholly insufficient, that Anderson was ordered to pay the $25 fee on or before a continued hearing date of February 6, 1980, and that if he neither paid nor appeared, a bench warrant would issue for his arrest and he would be assessed fees of $200 or $250. A written order was made on the docket: Continued to 2-7-80 at 2:00 p.m. for payment of Public Defender fees of $25.00. If fees not paid, then defendant to be cited back into court and new order made. Anderson did not pay or appear, and petitioner continued the matter several times. After petitioner told Van Gelder he was going to issue a bench warrant for Anderson's arrest, Van Gelder personally paid the $25 fee to the clerk on March 3. Petitioner testified: He called in Van Gelder on January 15, 1980, and confronted Van Gelder with a report petitioner had just received from the clerk that Van Gelder had told the clerk and Anderson that Anderson did not have to pay the attorney fees. Van Gelder said he had told Anderson only that he need not pay the attorney fees at that time. Petitioner reiterated he would not tolerate public defenders telling their clients not to pay ordered fees. He also told Van Gelder: Now look at what kind of situation you have created here for us at the court: We have an unpaid $25, and we don't have any continuance date. The man isn't ordered to return back. Van Gelder agreed to have Anderson come back to court, by calling or writing him, and petitioner made the docket order continuing the matter to February 6. [3] He did not threaten to raise the fees to $200 or $250. The making of that threat, however, was convincingly testified to by Van Gelder, who described at length his conversations with petitioner in connection with the Anderson matter. We conclude that the commission's findings on the subject are supported by clear and convincing evidence. Similarities between the Anderson incident and other incidents described in the findings illuminate patterns in petitioner's approach to the making and enforcement of fee orders. Thus, there are other instances ( Rueda, De Carolis ) in which petitioner appears to have reacted to unwelcome actions of the public defender by threatening or attempting to increase the amount of attorney fees ordered without regard to redetermination of ability to pay. Apart from threats to raise fees, the Anderson incident illustrates two of petitioner's collection practices established by other findings: (1) making sure that fees were paid before petitioner lost power to enforce payment of the fine and (2) using orders to appear in court as a means of enforcing payment of fees.