Opinion ID: 2594152
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: deferential standard of review should be used by the hearing panel to review the hearing committee's findings of fact

Text: {15} As noted above, the hearing committee is the only entity designated to take evidence during the course of a formal disciplinary proceeding. See Rule 17-314(C); see also Rule 17-313. Because the hearing committee directly observes witness testimony, it is in the best position to weigh the evidence, resolve matters of credibility, and choose between the conflicting inferences that may be drawn from the evidence. See Comm. on Legal Ethics of the W. Va. State Bar v. McCorkle, 192 W.Va. 286, 452 S.E.2d 377, 381 (W.Va.1994) (recognizing that a hearing committee is in a better position to resolve factual disputes because it hears the testimony of the witnesses firsthand and, being much closer to the pulse of the hearing, is much better situated to resolve such issues as credibility); accord In re Clark, 207 Ariz. 414, 87 P.3d 827, 830 (2004); In re Pautler, 47 P.3d 1175, 1179 (Colo.2002); Notopoulos v. Statewide Grievance Comm., 277 Conn. 218, 890 A.2d 509, 516 (2006); In re Reardon, 759 A.2d 568, 575 (Del.2000); In re Spak, 188 Ill.2d 53, 241 Ill.Dec. 618, 719 N.E.2d 747, 754 (1999); In re Saab, 406 Mass. 315, 547 N.E.2d 919, 927 (1989); Grievance Adm'r v. August, 438 Mich. 296, 475 N.W.2d 256, 260 (1991); In re Reiner's Case, 152 N.H. 594, 883 A.2d 315, 318 (2005); Pappas v. Va. State Bar, 271 Va. 580, 628 S.E.2d 534, 537 (2006); In re Poole, 156 Wash.2d 196, 125 P.3d 954, 959 (2006); In re Alia, 288 Wis.2d 299, 709 N.W.2d 399, 413-14 (2006); N.C. State Bar v. Gilbert, 151 N.C.App. 299, 566 S.E.2d 685, 690 (2002). {16} Because the hearing committee is the entity responsible for taking evidence in disciplinary proceedings, we view its role much the same as any other fact finder that should be given deference on questions of fact. See In re Witt, 145 Ill.2d 380, 164 Ill.Dec. 610, 583 N.E.2d 526, 531 (1991) (providing that the findings of fact made by the disciplinary entity responsible for taking evidence are entitled to the same weight as are the findings of any initial trier of fact); cf. N.M. State Bd. of Psychologist Exam'rs v. Land, 2003-NMCA-034, ¶ 5, 133 N.M. 362, 62 P.3d 1244 (noting that when a district court acts in an appellate capacity to review an administrative agency's factual determinations, the court's standard of review is limited in the same manner as any other appellate body and it must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the decision of the agency and must defer to the agency's factual determinations if supported by substantial evidence). Consistent with the foregoing authorities, we hold that when reviewing the findings of a hearing committee, the hearing panel should defer to the hearing committee on matters of weight and credibility, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the hearing committee's decision and resolving all conflicts and reasonable inferences in favor of the decision reached by the hearing committee. {17} We recognize that despite this standard of review, our Rules Governing Discipline provide that the hearing panel is not restricted to the findings of the hearing committee and may render its decision based upon the record and any additional findings that it may make. Rule 17-315. Nevertheless, the hearing panel's authority to make additional findings does not allow it to ignore the standard of review set forth above. Instead, the hearing panel's authority to make additional findings should be limited to factual issues not considered by the hearing committee or to situations where the hearing committee's findings are not supported by substantial evidence. We realize that the hearing panel in this case issued its own findings of fact in the belief that the hearing committee's findings were incomplete and unsupported by substantial evidence. However, as discussed later in this opinion, we believe the hearing panel misapplied its standard of review and, as a result, erred in substituting its own findings of fact for those of the hearing committee.