Opinion ID: 2360393
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Complaint of Icelia Manns

Text: In early December, 2003, Ms. Manns was facing a mortgage foreclosure on her home by Chase Manhattan Mortgage Company, due to an arrearage on her mortgage of over $7,000. On December 30, 2003, she engaged respondent to file a petition for bankruptcy on her behalf. Respondent entered into a fee agreement with Ms. Manns, under which Ms. Manns agreed to pay respondent a total fee of $1,000$700 to be paid up front and the balance to be paid over time. Respondent advised Ms. Manns that the foreclosure would be delayed by the filing of a bankruptcy petition. Respondent filed a Chapter 13 petition on behalf of Ms. Manns in the United States Bankruptcy Court on January 27, 2004. Respondent failed to attend both an initial hearing and a rescheduled hearing with the Bankruptcy Trustee, however, and failed as well to file a bankruptcy plan. Consequently, the foreclosure proceeded and Ms. Manns lost her home. Afterwards, respondent filed a Motion for Reconsideration and Request for Hearing, which were denied, and then attempted to negotiate with the mortgagee to extend the fixed terms of the mortgage. No agreement was ever reached with the mortgagee. Ms. Manns attempted numerous times to reach respondent, but respondent failed to answer her telephone calls or attend pre-scheduled meetings. Respondent also did not return any portion of the $700 that Ms. Manns paid him initially and failed to account for the time spent on her case. In July, 2004, Ms. Manns filed a complaint against respondent with the AGC. After sending respondent four requests for information, an investigator went to respondent's office and interviewed him. During the interview, respondent was cooperative with the investigator and provided him with the requested documents regarding Ms. Manns's claim. When the investigator followed up with further inquiries, however, respondent failed to respond. The hearing judge concluded that respondent violated MLRPC 1.1 by failing to appear at an initial and rescheduled hearing before the Bankruptcy Trustee and by failing to present a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan on behalf of Ms. Manns, MLRPC 1.4 by failing to return Ms. Manns's telephone calls, failing to attend pre-scheduled meetings with her, and failing to communicate with Ms. Manns to inform her of her options or that a Chapter 13 plan was not possible given her inability to make payments, and MLRPC 8.1(b) by failing to provide Bar Counsel with an accounting of the fee that respondent collected from Ms. Manns and by failing to respond to four requests posted to him by Bar Counsel. Bar Counsel filed exceptions to the hearing judge's failure to find violations of MLRPC 1.3, 8.4(d), 1.5(a), 1.15(b), and 1.16(d). We sustain Bar Counsel's exceptions as to Rules 1.3 and 8.4(d) in that respondent failed to diligently represent Ms. Manns in the bankruptcy proceeding and engaged in misconduct that was prejudicial to the administration of justice by failing to appear for a hearing before the Bankruptcy Trustee. We overrule Bar Counsel's other exceptions.