Opinion ID: 2360393
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Complaint of Kennedy Huddleston

Text: Mr. Huddleston retained respondent to handle a foreclosure matter. Mr. Huddleston's wife, Sonia, died intestate on May 29, 2002. The house that they both resided in was in his wife's sole name at the time of her death. Mr. Huddleston failed to open an estate for his wife and continued to make monthly payments to the mortgagor, Central Mortgage Company. Nine months after his wife's death, Mr. Huddleston informed the mortgage company of his wife's death but continued to make monthly payments. At some point, the mortgage company began to return Mr. Huddleston's checks and commenced foreclosure proceedings, which resulted in the property being sold on March 8, 2004. With the sale of the house not ratified as of March 31, 2004, Mr. Huddleston met with and retained respondent to represent him in reclaiming the house. Mr. Huddleston provided respondent with the requisite paperwork to respond to the mortgagor's notice of foreclosure. After Huddleston paid respondent a total fee of $1,000, respondent filed an exception to the sale of the house. On May 3, 2004, the substitute trustee answered the exception and on June 17, 2004, the Court overruled the exception by an Amended Order. Mr. Huddleston tried to reach respondent on several occasions but was told that he was either busy or in court. Respondent also failed to refund any portion of the fee that was paid by Mr. Huddleston. On August 5, 2004, Mr. Huddleston filed a complaint with the AGC. Bar Counsel tried four times to get respondent to respond to Mr. Huddleston's complaint, to no avail. Bar Counsel charged respondent with violating MLRPC 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.16, 8.1 and 8.4. The hearing judge concluded that respondent violated only three of those Rules: (1) MLRPC 1.1 by undertaking representation of Mr. Huddleston's claim although respondent recognized from the beginning that the likelihood of success with Mr. Huddleston's claim was limited, and by filing an exception to the sale of the house, but failing to follow through with his representation, (2) MLRPC 1.4 by failing to return Mr. Huddleston's telephone calls and requests for information, and (3) MLRPC 8.1 by failing to respond to four requests for information from Bar Counsel regarding his handling of Mr. Huddleston's claim. Bar Counsel filed exceptions to the hearing judge's failure to conclude that respondent violated MLRPC 1.3, 1.5, 1.16, and 8.4 and to her finding of a violation of Rule 1.4. We will sustain Bar Counsel's exceptions to MLRPC 1.3 because the facts support a finding that respondent failed to diligently represent Mr. Huddleston in his foreclosure action. Similarly, we will sustain his exception to MLRPC 8.4 because respondent's conduct was prejudicial to the administration of justice. We agree with Bar Counsel that it was error for the hearing judge to find a violation of MLRPC 1.4 since Bar Counsel failed to charge respondent with violating that Rule. We overrule Bar Counsel's exceptions to Rule 1.5 and 1.16.