Opinion ID: 1494991
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the liddell matter

Text: James A. Liddell filed a formal complaint with the Burlington County Ethics Committee concerning his legal representation by respondent in a matrimonial matter. A hearing was held and the Committee made the following factual findings which we find supported by clear and convincing evidence and which we adopt: The committee finds as fact that Mr. Liddell retained Mr. Logan to represent him in a matrimonial matter in the early part of 1972. The complainant had been represented earlier by another attorney, but sought Mr. Logan's services to secure a reduction in support which Mr. Liddell was ordered to pay. Mr. Liddell was obviously misinformed about an order by Judge Anthony P. Tunney, Jr. that superceded a previous order by Judge W. Thomas McGann, and when the complainant failed to comply with the later order, he was noticed for contempt. When he appeared to answer the contempt charge, however, he wanted to be heard on his application to reduce the support. Mr. Logan accepted a fee from Mr. Liddell and appeared for him at the contempt hearing. Conditions were set by Judge Tunney whereby the complainant could purge himself of the contempt, and ultimately these conditions were met. The day after the contempt hearing Mr. Logan filed his motion to reduce support, and on March 24, 1972 a hearing on that motion was held before Judge Tunney. Before deciding the motion, however, Judge Tunney directed Mr. Logan to produce his client's 1971 income tax return. Mr. Liddell and his present wife testified that they immediately went to their home, obtained a copy of the return, and went to Mr. Logan's office  all within a matter of hours after the hearing. In his answer to the complaint before this committee, Mr. Logan asserted that he had never received the return, but at the hearing Mr. Logan acknowledged that he must have received it. And rightly so, for the clerk's file shows that Judge Tunney received a letter from Mr. Logan on June 16, 1972 which enclosed the requested return. Notwithstanding the directive of Judge Tunney to produce the 1971 tax return, a copy of which was quickly supplied to Mr. Logan by his client, the respondent neglected to send the return to the judge for approximately three months. In the interim, Judge Tunney decided the motion adversely to Mr. Liddell and awarded counsel fees of $150 to Harold Bogatz, Esquire, who represented the former Mrs. Liddell at the hearing. Moreover, when Mr. Liddell inquired of Mr. Logan about the status of the case and, particularly, about whether Mr. Logan had sent the return to Judge Tunney, Mr. Logan at first told Mr. Liddell he had not received the return from him on March 24, then Mr. Logan told Mr. Liddell that he had found the return in the file and that it was sent to Judge Tunney. The affect [sic] Mr. Liddell's return would have had on Judge Tunney's decision can not now be determined, but it must be presumed that Judge Tunney wanted to review the return, or he would not have withheld decision until acquiring it, and the failure to send the return to the judge when directed might well have affected the outcome of the case, to the detriment of Mr. Liddell. The respondent's misrepresentation to his client, his failure to ascertain the facts and his overall carelessness not only reflect adversely on himself but create an atmosphere which is generally harmful to the profession. The conduct evidenced here is below the standard expected of the bar, and respondent is hereby reprimanded. For reprimand  Justices MOUNTAIN, SULLIVAN, PASHMAN, CLIFFORD and SCHREIBER and Judge CONFORD  6. Opposed  None.