Opinion ID: 2254014
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Estate of Bessie Carpenter

Text: In count III of the complaint, the Administrator alleged that Cutright (1) failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client (134 Ill.2d R. 1.3); (2) failed to keep a client reasonably informed about the status of a matter and failed to promptly comply with reasonable requests for information (134 Ill.2d R. 1.4(a)); (3) failed to explain a matter to the extent reasonably necessary to permit the client to make informed decisions regarding the representation (134 Ill.2d R. 1.4(b)); (4) engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice (210 Ill.2d R. 8.4(a)(5)); and (5) engaged in conduct which tends to defeat the administration of justice or brings the courts or the legal profession into disrepute (210 Ill.2d R. 770). In December 1986, Cutright agreed to represent the executor of Bessie Carpenter's estate in a proceeding to probate Bessie's will. Bessie died on November 30, 1986, and on December 4, 1986, Cutright filed the will. On December 8, 1986, Cutright filed a petition for probate of will and letters testamentary on behalf of the executor. Before he could complete Bessie's estate, it was necessary for Cutright to file a petition to partition certain real estate. An order of distribution was filed on February 10, 1989. Herbert Carpenter, Bessie's son, who was initially appointed executor, died on March 11, 1988, before the conclusion of the partition suit. Glen Warfel was then appointed to act as administrator of the estate. On March 22, 1989, Cutright filed a petition to approve the final report, for distribution, to discharge the administrator and close the estate in the probate case. Cutright set the matter for hearing on April 5, 1989. Subsequently, Charles Carpenter, another heir, informally objected to the final report on the basis that the report was incomplete. Cutright learned from Lucille Cooley, a friend and client who acted as a go between between him and the heirs, that there was a dispute between Charles Carpenter and the other heirs. Lucille informed Cutright that according to the heirs, they did not want to pay additional fees or expenses because of Charles' objections, and wanted to wait for Charles to die before moving forward to close the estate. Cutright admitted that although he did not verify this information with the heirs, they did not contact him about finishing it up. Cutright then set the matter for hearing on August 1, 1989, for approval of the final report. No hearing was held on that date. At least once a year when he prepared the tax returns for the estate, Glen Warfel contacted Cutright to inquire about its status. However, no further action was taken. Cutright advised Warfel that it might be easier to close the estate after Charles Carpenter, who was elderly, had passed away, since he objected to the way the estate was being handled. In June 1994, Charles Carpenter died. In July 1994, Cutright sent a letter to Charles Carpenter's attorney and asked him if he wanted to close the estate pursuant to information provided in the 1989 report. The attorney responded that he still had questions which were never answered. From 1994 to 2005, there was no further action taken by Cutright on the Bessie Carpenter estate. Bessie's granddaughter Sandra Fear, an heir to the estate, testified that she periodically contacted Cutright regarding the estate, but her calls were never returned. While Cutright acknowledged that she had called the office a few times, he indicated that he did return one of her calls, but stopped returning her calls after she became irate. Finally, in April 2005, during the process of preparing the estate's tax returns, Cutright asked that Warfel provide the accounting documents, and he then began working on closing the estate. On June 6, 2005, Cutright filed a motion to approve the final report and close the estate. On January 13, 2006, the estate closed and the proceeds were distributed by an order of the court over the objections of Charles Carpenter, which had been adopted by his widow. The Hearing Board found that the Administrator proved by clear and convincing evidence that Cutright (a) failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client, in violation of Rule 1.3 of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct; (b) failed to keep a client reasonably informed about the status of a matter and failed to promptly comply with reasonable requests for information, in violation of Rule 1.4(a); (c) failed to explain a matter to the extent reasonably necessary to permit a client to make informed decisions regarding the representation, in violation of Rule 1.4(b); (d) engaged in conduct which tends to defeat the administration of justice, in violation of Rule 8.4(a)(5); and (d) engaged in conduct which tends to defeat the administration of justice, or to bring the courts or the legal profession into disrepute, in violation of Supreme Court Rule 770 (210 Ill.2d R. 770). The Review Board adopted the Hearing Board's findings on count III of the complaint. Neither party challenges the Hearing Board's findings as to this count.