Opinion ID: 2551984
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Count IIThe Used Car Bid Card Matter

Text: By way of background, respondent's wife, Janet Lee, is the owner of Foreign Car Sales, LLC, which is authorized to buy and sell used cars. The Louisiana Recreational and Used Motor Vehicle Commission (Commission) issued Ms. Lee a bid card that allowed her to purchase used cars at auction. Ms. Lee's bid card was registered with Insurance Auto Auction (IAA), allowing her to bid on cars auctioned by IAA. No one other than Ms. Lee was authorized to bid on cars at the IAA auctions using her bid card identification number. On January 6, 2005, someone claiming to be respondent called IAA and inquired why his online bidding account with IAA was inactive. Dewanna Wells, an employee of IAA, informed the caller that the only bid card they had on file was for Ms. Lee, and without his own bid card, he would not be allowed to purchase cars from IAA. On January 23, 2005, a bid card under respondent's name was faxed to IAA. Employees of IAA found the appearance of the bid card to be suspicious and faxed it to the Commission the next day. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the bid card bearing respondent's name contained Ms. Lee's bid card identification number. Thereafter, the Commission brought charges against respondent in the case of Louisiana Recreational and Used Motor Vehicle Commission versus Janet Lee D/B/A Foreign Car Sales, LLC and Kimuel Lee, Docket No. 2005-32. Following an August 16, 2005 hearing before the Commission, respondent was found to have committed a fraudulent act by placing his name on his wife's bid card and holding himself out as the vehicle salesperson to whom the bid card was licensed, in violation of La. R.S. 32:775(A)(6)(d). The Commission also found that respondent was acting as a used motor vehicle salesperson without a license, in violation of La. R.S. 32:775(A)(1). The Commission fined respondent a total of $750 and assessed him with hearing costs, including $753.68 in attorney's fees, $171.50 in court reporter fees, and $32.98 for witness subpoenas. Respondent appealed the Commission's findings to the 19th Judicial District Court for the Parish of East Baton Rouge. Following a September 5, 2006 hearing, the district court rendered judgment in favor of the Commission. Respondent then appealed the matter to the First Circuit Court of Appeal, which affirmed the district court's ruling in an unpublished opinion dated November 2, 2007. Respondent's writ application to this court was denied on April 4, 2008, and consequently, the judgment against him is final. Foreign Car Sales, L.L.C. v. Louisiana Recreational & Used Motor Vehicle Comm'n, 08-0366 (La.4/4/08), 978 So.2d 330. The ODC alleged respondent's conduct violated the following provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct: Rules 8.4(a) and 8.4(c) (engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation).