Opinion ID: 1749026
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Fairness of Proceedings.

Text: McGrath's brief contains a division with a heading alleging the commission erred in allowing the board to amend its petition to add a second count, in allowing Jane Doe and her former husband to testify, and in creating a procedural and trial climate that was fundamentally unfair and a violation of due process. We will address each contention separately. A. Amendment of board complaint. The rules governing attorney discipline provide that the commission may permit amendments to the complaint ... to raise new matters as long as the respondent has ... a reasonable time to prepare a defense thereto prior to the date set for hearing. Iowa Ct. R. 35.6. We think McGrath had a reasonable time to prepare his defense. In August 2004, the board received an unsolicited complaint from the ex-husband of Jane Doe, alleging sexual improprieties by McGrath involving Doe. On August 17, 2004, the board notified McGrath of this additional complaint and informed him the board would investigate the allegations and consider the matter at a future meeting. McGrath was asked to respond as required by Iowa Court Rule 34.7, and he did so, denying any misconduct. On August 23, 2004, counsel for the board notified the respondent's attorney that if the board chose to prosecute this complaint, it would want to combine it with the current proceeding against McGrath, which had been scheduled for hearing in January 2005. On October 4, 2004, more than three months before the scheduled hearing on the Williams charge, the board filed a motion for leave to amend the complaint pending before the commission to add a second count, the Doe charge. Over McGrath's objections, the commission allowed the amendment, concluding the respondent had made no showing that he would be unable to adequately prepare his defense if the amendment were granted. The amendment was filed on November 4, 2004, and the case proceeded to hearing on January 11, 2005. As shown by the record, McGrath received a copy of the Doe complaint nearly five months before the hearing. He knew shortly thereafter that the board would attempt to have this complaint heard with the pending Williams matter, so he could hardly have been surprised when six weeks later the board sought to amend the Williams complaint to add the Doe charge. Moreover, there was nothing unusual about the timeframe within which the hearing on the amended complaint was held. The hearing took place sixty-eight days after the amended complaint was filed. Iowa Court Rule 35.7(1) states that the hearing before the grievance commission shall be held not less than 60 days nor more than 90 days after the service of the complaint. Iowa Ct. R. 35.7(1), para. 3. Thus, McGrath received the amount of time anticipated by our rules to prepare for the hearing. [4] We perceive no unfairness in the schedule set by the commission. Furthermore, the respondent has not assisted this court in identifying any unfairness because he has failed to specify why he was unable to adequately prepare a defense for the January hearing. We hold the commission did not abuse its discretion in permitting the amendment, and the prosecution of the additional count did not render the proceedings unfair. B. Testimony of the Does. The respondent's complaint regarding the Does' trial testimony is apparently based on his alleged inability to depose them prior to the hearing. As noted earlier, the respondent sought to quash the board's attempt to depose Jane Doe and continued to resist her deposition as late as December 22, 2004. In addition, although McGrath eventually requested the Does' depositions, he did not do so until January 3, 2005, more than thirty days beyond the filing of the amendment and approximately one week before the scheduled hearing. The commission denied the attempted discovery as untimely. See generally Iowa Ct. R. 35.6 (providing that discovery must be commenced within thirty days after service of the complaint). McGrath's own actions in failing to pursue timely depositions of the Does cannot serve as a basis to preclude the testimony of these witnesses at the hearing. [5] There was nothing unfair in the commission's allowance of their testimony. C. General fairness of proceedings. McGrath expends considerable effort complaining about the unfairness of the proceedings in general. The majority of these complaints centers on the discovery and scheduling issues, which we have already determined were correctly resolved and did not result in an unfair proceeding. We have carefully considered McGrath's additional allegations that the hearing was procedurally prejudicial and defective and that the entire procedural chain of events subjected him to a trial by ordeal. Our review of the voluminous pleadings in this case confirms the contentious nature of this proceeding. Discovery disputes were ongoing. At one point the respondent even sought to enjoin the board from continuing its investigation of Williams' complaint. Few rulings of the commission were not followed by a motion to reconsider. To the extent this matter became an ordeal, the respondent must assume his share of responsibility for the tenor of these proceedings. A painstaking review of the full record in this case persuades us the board acted fairly and responsibly in investigating the complaints against the respondent, the respondent had an entirely adequate opportunity to defend himself, and the hearing was procedurally and substantively fair.