Opinion ID: 2639202
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Letter of September 10, 1999, to Mr. Grissom

Text: 5. On September 10, 1999, the Respondent wrote Mr. Grissom, counsel for Ms. Eichenwald, a letter threatening to publicly reveal damaging information regarding Ms. Eichenwald. Enclosed with this letter, was a copy of the Respondent's February 25, 1998, letter to Ms. Eichenwald. In the Respondent's February 25, 1998, letter, the Respondent accused Ms. Eichenwald of theft, fraud, and untruthfulness. While the Kansas Rules of Professional Conduct required the Respondent to make every effort to avoid revealing information relating to the representation of a client, the Respondent voluntarily did the opposite. By providing Mr. Grissom with the February 25, 1998, letter to Ms. Eichenwald with his September 10, 1999, letter, the Respondent voluntarily revealed information relating to the representation of Ms. Eichenwald, in violation of KRPC 1.6(a). The question then becomes whether the disclosure was permitted by KRPC 1.6(b). 6. An Oregon disciplinary case, decided under the Disciplinary Rules of the Code of Professional Conduct, addressed that issue. In re Huffman, 328 Or. 567, 983 P.2d 534 (1998). In that case, Huffman was charged with violating DR 4-101(B) for writing a letter, to the client's new counsel, that contained disclosures that were embarrassing and detrimental to the client. 7. The Oregon version of DR 4-101(B) was similar to KRPC 1.6 and provided as follows: `(B) Except when permitted under DR 4-101(C), a lawyer shall not knowingly: (1) Reveal a confidence or secret of the lawyer's client. (2) Use a confidence or secret of the lawyer's client to the disadvantage of the client. (3) Use a confidence or secret of the lawyer's client for the advantage of the lawyer. . . . . `(C) A lawyer may reveal: . . . . (4) Confidences or secrets necessary to establish a claim or defense on behalf of a lawyer in a controversy between the lawyer and the client. . . .' Id. at 579. The court held as follows: `. . . We find that the disclosures were both embarrassing and likely to be detrimental to [the client]. The fact that the [Respondent] made the disclosures to [the client]'s new lawyer does not alter the embarrassing and detrimental character of the disclosures. `We reject the [Respondent]'s contention that his conduct falls under the exception in DR 4-101(C)(4). That exception is limited, by its terms, to disclosures that are necessary to establish a claim or defense on behalf of the lawyer in a controversy between the lawyer and the client. The [Respondent] already had established his claims against [his client], and there was no pending action against the accused by [the client] that required the accused to assert a defense. The disclosures were not required for the assertion of the accused's legal claims that his judgments against [the client] were valid. The [Respondent]'s letter was little more than a veiled attempt to intimidate [the client] and [his new attorney] in order to deter them from challenging the [Respondent]'s judgments. The [Respondent] was not entitled to reveal [the client]'s secrets under DR 4-101(C)(4).' Id. at 581. In the instant case, the disclosures made to Mr. Grissom were not authorized by KRPC 1.6(b). 8. First, the disclosures were not made to establish a claim or defense in any civil or criminal case. At the time the Respondent made the disclosures to Mr. Grissom, there was no pending action between the Respondent and Ms. Eichenwald. 9. Second, the disclosures were not made to respond to allegations in any proceeding. Certainly, at the hearing on this matter, the Respondent argued that the disclosures were made in response to allegations made by Ms. Eichenwald and in an attempt to protect his reputation in the legal community. However, there was no `proceeding' as required by KRPC 1.6(b). The disclosures were simply made to embarrass Ms. Eichenwald before her new attorney. 10. Because the disclosures made to Mr. Grissom were not necessary to establish a claim or defense or to respond to allegations in any proceeding, the Hearing Panel concludes that the Respondent revealed information relating to the representation of Ms. Eichenwald in violation of KRPC 1.6(a).