Opinion ID: 1536896
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Respondent's Tardy Response to the Bar Complaint

Text: 24. As indicated above, Ms. Fisher-Hammond filed a bar complaint against Respondent in early 2001. The complaint was docketed on February 6, 2001. Tr. 74; BX 8. In connection with her complaint, Ms. Fisher-Hammond provided Bar Counsel with the disbursement sheet Respondent had provided her (with her handwritten annotations), the Equifax credit report, the collection agency's letter, and a bill sent by Maryland Orthopedics in 2000 at her request (Tr. 62). BX 8 at 2-10. 25. Bar Counsel mailed a letter to Respondent on February 12, 2001 enclosing the complaint materials from Ms. Fisher-Hammond and requesting a written response to the complaint by February 22, 2001. BX 8, 9A. Bar Counsel requested that Respondent provide, inter alia, his office file, including any records reflecting the deposit and disbursement of the settlement proceeds and any records memorializing or reflecting the basis for his fee. Id. Bar Counsel addressed the letter to 2620 28th St. N.E., Washington, D.C. XXXXX-XXXX, one of two addresses Respondent had registered with the D.C. Bar as his address of record. BX 9A. No response was received from Respondent, and Bar Counsel's letter was not returned. BX 9 at 1. 26. Also on February 12, 2001, Bar Counsel arranged to serve Respondent personally with the complaint both at the 28th Street address and at the other address Respondent had listed with the D.C. Bar, 1730 K Street N.W., Suite 304, Washington, DC XXXXX-XXXX. BX 9B, 9C. Bar Counsel's personal service attempts were unsuccessful at both addresses. BX 9B, 9C. 27. On March 15, 2001, Bar Counsel wrote to Respondent by first-class mail at the K Street address, notifying him that the due date for his response had expired and that he was required to submit a written response to the inquiry within five days. BX 9 D. 28. On March 20, 2001, Bar Counsel received a facsimile transmission from Respondent in which he acknowledged receipt of Bar Counsel's letter dated March 15, 2001. BX 9E; RX 3. Respondent requested a 30-day extension of the deadline to allow him to locate the file and answer. BX 9E; RX 3. 29. On March 23, 2001, Bar Counsel wrote to Respondent by regular mail granting his request for a 30-day extension, to April 19, 2001. BX 9F. Respondent did not respond within that time frame. BX 9 at 2. 30. On May 1, 2001, Bar Counsel filed a motion to compel Respondent's substantive response to her inquiry with the Board on Professional Responsibility (the Board). BX 9. 31. On May 13, 2001, Respondent filed an opposition to Bar Counsel's motion, using the same K Street address to which Bar Counsel's earlier, unanswered correspondence had been directed. BX 9B, 9C, 10. In his opposition, Respondent stated that he had received no notice until now of any disciplinary complaint and contended that he has no affirmative duty to make himself available to be served in a matter of which he has no knowledge. BX 10 at 1. These statements to the Board were misleading in view of Respondent's having received and responded to Bar Counsel's March 15, 2001 letter and having discussed the bar complaint with his client in April 2001. [8] Respondent made reference in his submission to a robbery/theft which occurred in his office some years ago and stated that the relevant files may not be available for that reason. Id. at 1-2. (As noted above, Respondent had indicated to Ms. Fisher-Hammond that her file might not be available on account of a fire.) Respondent requested a second 30-day extension from the Board, until June 12, 2001, within which to respond to Bar Counsel's inquiries. Respondent thereafter failed to provide a response within the 30 days. BX 11 at 4. 32. Bar Counsel filed a reply on May 21, 2001, disputing a number of the factual and legal contentions adduced by Respondent in his opposition. BX 11. The reply was mailed to Respondent at the K Street address. Id. at 6. 33. On July 30, 2001, the Board ordered Respondent to provide a substantive response to Bar Counsel's inquiries within 10 days. BX 12. 34. On August 2, 2001, the Court of Appeals issued its decision ( Anderson I ) suspending Respondent for six months as a result of a misappropriation that occurred in connection with an unrelated settlement of a case for a different client in 1993. In that case, Respondent claimed that he had simply forgotten to pay the medical providers because of confusion with respect to yet another unrelated settlement.