Opinion ID: 1185913
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the complaints against respondent.

Text: The material facts of this case are lengthy since fifteen complaints were filed against the respondent. However, we need describe only a few of these complaints in any detail because all of them depict a similar pattern of conduct by respondent. [1] As the complaints fully document, respondent's dealings with his clients ranged from procrastination to inexcusable neglect as evidenced by his consistent failure to respond to his clients' inquiries and to meet court deadlines. As a result, his lack of responsibility caused innumerable delays, dismissed lawsuits, and obvious prejudice to his clients. For example, in complaint 4, Ruth A. Ching charged that respondent's mishandling of her case resulted in the dismissal of her lawsuit with prejudice and a lost opportunity for a remunerative settlement. She had contacted respondent for assistance in bringing a lawsuit against her deceased former husband's estate. Ching claimed that in their divorce proceedings, her husband had not fully disclosed his assets, thus depriving her of an adequate monetary award. Therefore, she sought $35,000, plus treble damages. In April 1976, Ching paid respondent $600 as advanced costs and legal fees to provide this representation. Although he prepared and filed a complaint in the Fifth Circuit Court, respondent did very little work beyond that for his client. For example, on September 15, 1976, Clinton Shiraishi, Esq., the attorney for the executrix of the estate, wrote to respondent about the possibility of a settlement if the respondent could demonstrate the meritoriousness of his client's claim. Despite Shiraishi's overtures, respondent never inquired into the feasibility of a settlement. Respondent's failure to make this inquiry probably hurt his client's case. Shiraishi testified before the Hearing Committee that he probably would have advised the estate to settle for the $35,000 requested by Ching if respondent had taken the time to negotiate for his client. In addition to respondent's failure to explore the advantages of a settlement, he did not conduct formal discovery in the litigation and failed to return many of Ching's phone calls. Moreover, respondent did not file a timely objection to Shiraishi's motion to dismiss under Rule 12(f) of the Hawaii Circuit Court Rules, resulting in the dismissal of Ching's lawsuit with prejudice. Finally, around April of 1978, Ching called the respondent seeking repayment of the $600 deposit she had paid him. Although respondent promised to send the money to her, he did not do so until November of 1978 when he received a letter from the petitioner. However, there is no indication in the record that respondent ever converted Ching's or his other clients' monies to his own use. Complaint 11 further underscores respondent's irresponsible handling of many of his clients' cases. The complaint was filed by Dennis Akina who had hired respondent to bring a personal injury action on his behalf after he had been hit by a truck as a pedestrian. Respondent did file the lawsuit for Akina in the First Circuit Court on November 21, 1977, but failed to serve the summons and complaint upon the defendants. As a result, the court dismissed Akina's lawsuit for want of service on September 11, 1978. On September 20, 1978, respondent filed a motion to reinstate Akina's complaint and attached his own affidavit in which he claimed that the dismissal of the lawsuit was the result of an innocent mis-calendaring. The court held a hearing on that motion on October 5, 1978 at which time it ordered that the hearing be continued to a later date. Several postponements of the hearing took place, but on February 20, 1979, respondent and defendants' attorney David Lo, Esq., agreed that the hearing would be held on March 27, 1979. However, when the March 27th hearing date arrived, respondent told Lo that he would not be able to appear at the hearing because of a jury trial which he had to handle in Lihue, Kauai on the same day. Lo refused to agree to a postponement. Nonetheless, without prior notice, respondent informed the court that he was not going to be appearing at the hearing. Because respondent never got Lo to agree to the postponement, Lo appeared in court anyway to oppose respondent's motion to reinstate Akina's complaint. Since respondent was not in court to argue for his motion, the court denied it, resulting in the dismissal of Akina's lawsuit with prejudice. Following the denial of this motion, respondent had one more opportunity to salvage his client's lawsuit, but again neglected his responsibilities. Respondent filed a motion to reconsider in the First Circuit Court. The court held a hearing on his motion to reconsider on April 25, 1979. At that hearing, the court agreed to reinstate the lawsuit on the condition that respondent personally pay $125.00 for costs to Lo within 20 days of the filing of an order granting his motion. Such an order was filed on May 15, 1979, but respondent failed to make the payment as directed. As a result, the court again dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice at a hearing on July 18, 1979.