Opinion ID: 1439142
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Wever Complaint

Text: The second aggravator considered by the special judge involved Mr. Newman's representation of Mr. Wever. As previously stated, Mr. Wever gave Mr. Newman a $500.00 check that Mr. Newman then cashed without reporting it to his firm. In its complaint, the Committee alleged that Mr. Newman's actions in this regard violated Rules 1.15(a), 8.4(b), and 8.4(c). In reviewing the evidence the special judge determined that Mr. Newman violated Model Rules 1.15(a), 8.4(b), and 8.4(c). This conclusion was based on the finding that Mr. Newman cashed the $500.00 check but did not report any of it to the law firm until after the partners learned of his conduct. Mr. Newman argues that his failure to deposit the $500.00 into the firm account was inadvertent. This fact is irrelevant, however, because the undisputed evidence demonstrated that Mr. Newman failed to deposit the money into a firm account, thereby violating Rule 1.15(a). Accordingly, the special judge did not err in finding a violation of this rule. Additionally, we again reject Mr. Newman's assertion that there can be no violation of Rule 8.4(b) where there has been no crime or conviction. Finally, the issue of whether there was a violation of Rule 8.4(c) because of Mr. Newman's misconduct is one based on the special judge's assessment of the credibility of witnesses and thus we cannot say that he clearly erred.