Opinion ID: 1454365
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: thirty-fifth cause of complaint

Text: In this cause of complaint the Bar alleged that Griffith violated former DR 1-102(A)(4), supra, because of the following conduct: On March 18, 1983, Columbia Pacific was declared insolvent and closed by the Oregon Superintendent of Banks. The following day, March 19th, Griffith and his wife entered into a property settlement dividing their marital assets between them. On March 24, 1983, Griffith and his wife filed a petition and obtained a decree dissolving their marriage. Later Griffith and his wife resumed living together in the family residence. On July 20, 1983, the decree was modified by stipulation to award the residence to the wife. The dissolution was entered into by Griffith to defraud his creditors. Griffith's answer admitted the dates and events but denied that he intended to defraud his creditors. The Trial Panel found that Griffith was not guilty of this cause of complaint. We agree with the following portion of its opinion: Evidence with respect to this cause of complaint showed the Accused and his wife did not enjoy a happy marriage, that they had, at times prior to March of 1983 lived separately and had considered obtaining divorce on several occasions and that a property settlement agreement for distribution of their marital assets had been prepared a year or two before but never implemented. The Accused's wife recopied the prior property settlement agreement and had the Accused sign it. She prepared the divorce documents and had the divorce decree entered. The Accused simply went along with what his wife wanted including a later modification of the property settlement agreement. There was no evidence presented that the share of marital assets given to the wife by the property settlement agreement was grossly excessive nor have creditors of the Accused claimed the property settlement agreement was a fraud on creditors or attempted to have the property settlement set aside. We find Griffith not guilty of this cause of complaint.