Opinion ID: 1408147
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Lubin and Zorich committee proceedings[4]

Text: Lubin filed his grievance in January 1990. In 1991 Bar Counsel informed Triem that the Bar had completed its investigation. Bar Counsel concluded that Triem, by failing to promptly return Lubin's money, had violated Alaska Code of Professional Responsibility DR 9-102(B)(4); [5] by failing to account to Lubin regarding his money, had violated DR 9-102(B)(3); and by improperly withdrawing disputed attorney's fees from the trust account, had violated DR 9-102(A)(2). Zorich filed his grievance in 1990. Triem responded to the grievance after receiving two time extensions. In 1991 Bar Counsel informed Triem that he had finished his investigation of the Zorich grievance. He found that Triem had neglected a legal matter entrusted to him and thus had violated DR 6-101(A)(3). The Lubin and Zorich violations, Bar Counsel stated, required public discipline. Triem was provided the opportunity to stipulate to discipline by public censure. Triem was informed that if he rejected this proposal, Bar Counsel would petition for a formal hearing. Triem rejected the proposed discipline. Bar Counsel filed a petition for formal hearing, serving Triem in February 1992. On September 8 the Area Hearing Committee assigned to hear the Lubin and Zorich grievances conducted a consolidated hearing. Triem and Bar Counsel submitted a stipulated statement of facts to the committee. At the September 8 hearing, Triem testified that he informed Lubin that his money would not immediately be returned due to the need to procure a release from the seller. Triem further testified that after the Zorich trial, he met with Zorich and Hartman and discussed the alternate strategy of pursuing reconveyances of deeds to clear title to Zorich's property. Bar Counsel noted that these explanations by Triem had never been articulated in the two years since the grievances had been filed, and were not part of the stipulated statement of facts. Because the committee wanted to hear testimony from Lubin and Zorich on these factual assertions, it held a second hearing. At the second hearing, the committee questioned Lubin about what he was told by Triem when he initially requested the refund of his money. Lubin testified that Triem had not informed him that his money would have to be held due to the possibility of a contingent claim by the seller. The committee also questioned Zorich about whether he had agreed to the alternate strategy of foregoing pursuit of a final judgment. Zorich testified that he did not remember a conversation to that effect, and that he would not have agreed to such a proposal. In April 1993 the committee conducted a third hearing to hear the testimony of Lubin's loan officer, Sara Walsh. Triem asked the committee to hear this testimony to rebut Lubin's testimony and to support Triem's contention regarding what he had told Lubin about return of his earnest money payment. [6] With Triem's aid, Walsh wrote an affidavit before the hearing. Walsh's affidavit, however, conflicted with her hearing testimony on the key issue of whether Lubin understood that a refund would not be immediately forthcoming due to the possibility of contingent claims. At the hearing, Walsh produced an earlier version of the affidavit which had been prepared by Triem and edited by Walsh. This edited version indicates that Walsh marked off for removal from the affidavit the crucial statement that Mr. Lubin said that under the terms of his contract he could not obtain release of the earnest money deposit until he had notified the seller and gotten the seller's release of the escrow deposit. Walsh testified that she sent a copy of the edited version to Triem so it could be corrected, that Triem subsequently sent her the ostensibly corrected affidavit, and that she signed it, apparently without reading it again. After the April hearing, the committee had thirty days to issue its report under Alaska Bar Rule 22( l ). However, the committee did not issue its report until eleven months later, on March 22, 1994. In the Lubin matter, the committee found that Triem had violated DR 9-102(B)(4), DR 9-102(B)(3), and DR 9-102(A)(2). In Zorich, the committee found that Triem's current explanation for his failure to promptly file findings of fact, conclusions of law and a proposed judgment as instructed by the Court is neither credible nor consistent. Consequently, the committee held that Triem had neglected a legal matter entrusted to him in violation of DR 6-101(A)(3). As a preliminary matter, the committee noted that these violations warranted public censure or reprimand. [7] The committee also stated, however, that it believed that Triem had been deliberately dishonest in his testimony before the committee. [8] The committee recommended that Triem be suspended from practice for up to one year.