Opinion ID: 2364343
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: False or misleading statements

Text: ¶ 25 Ferguson contests the hearing officer's findings that her pleadings contained statements that were false, misleading, or misrepresentations. ¶ 26 The hearing officer found Ferguson's statement that the Bransfords had no proof of mailing or payment at the March 30, 2005 hearing to be false. The transcript of the March 30 hearing reveals that when the court asked for proof, the Bransfords' attorney offered the sworn testimony of Mrs. Bransford as proof that she had mailed the checks on March 28. Evidence to the contrary consists of testimony by Ferguson who was not in attendance. Substantial evidence exists to find Ferguson's statement false. ¶ 27 The hearing officer also found that Ferguson falsely stated that the Bransfords had violated the March 18 order and had falsely informed the court at the March 30 hearing they had mailed the February and March payments in compliance with the order. The March 18 order required the Bransfords to bring the mortgage payments up to date by March 28. The March 30 hearing transcript reveals that Owens claimed the Bransfords were in compliance because they had mailed the payments on March 28 but they simply [hadn't] been received yet. Ex. 22 at 1-3. An employee of PHH supported this statement, testifying that a check for the February and March payments was posted to the account on April 6, and given processing delays, this check could have been mailed by the Bransfords on March 28. Substantial evidence exists to support the hearing officer's finding that Ferguson's statement was objectively false and misrepresented Owens' statements at the March 30 hearing. [5] ¶ 28 The hearing officer found Ferguson's statement to Judge Rickert that a vagrant or indigent person had moved into the house to be misleading. All parties involved, including Ferguson, knew the person was the Bransfords' son. Ferguson defends her statement, saying he was both a vagrant and the Bransfords' son. She based her statement on information from Andrew Ferguson that he found the son living in the house in conditions that seemed very ... transient, like he wasn't really living there with garbage strewn about, cigarette butts on the roof, and a sleeping bag on the floor. 3 VTP at 553 (Ferguson test.); id. at 444 (Andrew Ferguson test.). ¶ 29 Ferguson's declaration submitted with her motion to Judge Rickert stated [i]t is our understanding that the vagrant may be their adult son. Id. at 553. Thus, there is some evidence that she properly informed the court. However, given the hearing officer's findings regarding the length of the pleadings and the brief time Judge Rickert had to review all of the pleadings, the elucidating statement was effectively buried. Moreover, Ferguson testified that she could not recall if she had told the judge verbally that the Bransfords' son lived on the property. Substantial evidence supports the hearing officer's finding that Ferguson's use of the terms vagrant and indigent was misleading.