Opinion ID: 1251685
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Vilather H. Case

Text: In April of 1978, Ms. H. retained petitioner to represent her in a personal injury action arising from an automobile accident with an uninsured motorist. Ms. H. had both uninsured motorist coverage as well as coverage for her own medical expenses arising from the accident. After investigating the accident, petitioner notified the insurance carrier that Ms. H. would pursue the claim for medical expenses on her own. She subsequently received reimbursement for these expenses from the carrier. However, petitioner failed to pursue the uninsured motorist claim against the insurer or to bring an action against the uninsured motorist within the one-year statute of limitations. Ms. H. repeatedly tried to contact petitioner. More than a year after she had retained him, she spoke to him by telephone and asked that he return her file. She never received the file and did not hear from him again. At some point after this conversation, she went to his office in Oakland and found the door padlocked. She testified that she was never made aware of the statute of limitations nor of the fact that no action had been filed. In his defense, petitioner testified that he had a practice of informing clients of the statute of limitations on any accident claim. He also testified that Ms. H. had received notice about the statute of limitations directly from the insurer. Finally, he testified that he had investigated the uninsured motorist claim and had found it to be meritless. [9] The file bore an entry, Told Vilather without proof of loss of earnings her case is minimal. Close file. The hearing panel found that petitioner abandoned his client with respect to the uninsured motorist claim; failed to notify either Ms. H. or the insurance carrier of his withdrawal from the case; and failed to advise her of her obligation to act within the statutory time period. It found that he failed to protect her cause of action by timely filing a claim, and he failed to notify her of the true state of affairs when she made inquiries after the statute of limitations had expired. He frustrated her attempts to communicate with him by closing his office without giving her notice, and he failed to respond to her request to return her file. On these facts, the panel concluded that petitioner violated his oath to discharge his duties as an attorney (§ 6067); that he failed to use reasonable diligence to accomplish the purpose for which he was employed (rule 6-101(2)); and that he withdrew from employment without taking reasonable steps to protect his client (rule 2-111(A)(2)). Petitioner argues that he never executed a retainer agreement and that, in any event, Ms. H. was not prejudiced because her medical bills were ultimately paid and her other claims were meritless. In support of his first argument, he notes that the copy of the retainer agreement which the State Bar placed into evidence did not bear his signature. However, the record includes a letter from petitioner to Ms. H., dated April 18, 1978, requesting her to sign and return a copy of the retainer agreement. The record also includes correspondence between petitioner and the insurer, in which he held himself out as Ms. H.'s attorney. Moreover, by his own testimony petitioner acted, at least through August of 1978, as though he represented Ms. H. on the uninsured motorist claim. These facts support a finding that a contract of employment was in effect. However, the hearing panel's findings that petitioner abandoned Ms. H. and withdrew from employment without taking steps to protect her are not supported by the weight of the evidence. Petitioner recalled specifically that he told Ms. H. in September of 1978 that the case was not worth pursuing without proof of loss of earnings and that he was closing her file. He documented this recollection with an entry in the file. Against this entry, Ms. H. offered only a vague recollection that petitioner had promised but failed to pursue all her claims. She could not remember even approximate dates of conversations she had with him during the period of employment. She remembered showing petitioner her income tax returns, but admitted she did not furnish him copies of them or of any other records. (10) While it is clearly better practice for an attorney to confirm a decision not to pursue a claim by letter, the absence of such a letter in itself, in light of all the evidence in this case, does not support a conclusion that Ms. H. had no notice of petitioner's decision. Accordingly, the findings that petitioner violated rules 2-111(A)(2) and 6-101(2) are set aside.