Opinion ID: 1264518
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Current Disciplinary Proceedings

Text: As indicated above, Count 1 of the statement of charges filed by the Investigative Panel alleged that, in response to a legal ethics complaint and in response to a discovery request in a defamation action, the respondent, through the submission of altered checks, misrepresented his claim that he had advanced certain expenses in an underlying medical malpractice action. The malpractice action concerned complications in the delivery of a baby where the mother, Lisa Crooks, had been in a motor vehicle accident and had gone into early labor. According to respondent McCorkle, he and attorney James M. Pierson represented Ms. Crooks and had a fee-sharing arrangement with regard to her malpractice claim. Pierson disputed the existence of the arrangement and when, upon settlement of the action, no portion of the fee was shared with the respondent, an on-going conflict arose between the respondent and Pierson. McCorkle allegedly accused Pierson's secretary of misconduct, and she filed an ethics complaint against him with the West Virginia State Bar and a defamation action in the Circuit Court of Kanawha County. In both proceedings, McCorkle attempted to prove the fee-sharing arrangement concerning the underlying malpractice claim by asserting that he had paid various expenses during the course of the litigation. In that regard, McCorkle submitted to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel and in response to a request for the production of documents in the defamation action, two $500 checks from his office made out to Pierson Legal Services. The memo line of check no. 2842 contained the phrase Crooks Case, and the memo line of check no. 2290 contained the phrase Expenses in Crooks Case. Bank microfilm established, however, that at the time the checks were negotiated by Pierson the memo lines contained no such phrases, thus suggesting that the checks had been subsequently altered. According to the Investigative Panel, respondent McCorkle gave false testimony concerning the two checks in both the ethics proceeding and the defamation action. With regard to Count 2, respondent McCorkle represented Eleanor Dawson who was severely injured and required extended care as a result of a motor vehicle accident in March 1991. Upon receiving a partial settlement of $100,000, McCorkle created a Trust Agreement for the benefit of Ms. Dawson, pending the outcome of a related products liability claim. Dawson had no other income, and the Trust Agreement named McCorkle as Trustee. The Trust account was opened in June 1991 and, after a number of checks were written by McCorkle, the account, on July 22, 1991, contained a balance of approximately $18,500. According to the Investigative Panel, the respondent produced very little by way of financial records to show how the money had been spent. Following McCorkle's suspension in 1994, the products liability claim was settled by attorney James M. Pierson, and the Trust Agreement terminated. During the existence of the Trust, the respondent engaged in a wide variety of transactions concerning the account, including the making of both deposits and withdrawals. According to the Investigative Panel, however, McCorkle diverted money from the account to make a $575 rent payment for his residence and to loan $15,000 to a friend. On December 5, 2003, the Hearing Panel Subcommittee conducted an evidentiary hearing upon the statement of charges and, on October 13, 2005, filed its recommended decision containing findings of fact and conclusions of law with this Court. The Subcommittee found that the charges had been proven. With regard to Count 1, the Subcommittee concluded that, by submitting the checks to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel and by misrepresenting that the memo lines thereof had been completed prior to negotiation, McCorkle violated Rule 8.1.(a) of the West Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct which states that a lawyer shall not knowingly make a false statement of material fact in connection with a disciplinary matter. The Subcommittee further concluded that by engaging in similar conduct in the defamation action, McCorkle violated Rule 3.4.(b) which states that a lawyer shall not falsify evidence and Rule 8.4.(c) and (d) stating that it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation or conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice. As to Count 2 concerning the Dawson Trust Agreement, the Subcommittee found that, by abusing his authority as Trustee and by neglecting to maintain a complete record of the trust fund account, McCorkle violated Rule 1.7.(b) which provides that a lawyer shall not represent a client if the representation may be materially limited by the lawyer's own interests, Rule 1.8.(a) stating that a lawyer shall not knowingly acquire an ownership, possessory, security or other pecuniary interest adverse to a client, Rule 1.15.(a) stating that a lawyer shall hold the property of a client separate from the lawyer's own property and shall keep complete records of the client's account funds and Rule 8.4.(c) stating that it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation. Upon the above conclusions and determining that McCorkle's prior disciplinary adjudications, McCorkle 1 and McCorkle 2, constituted aggravating factors, the Hearing Panel Subcommittee recommended: (1) that respondent McCorkle's license to practice law in West Virginia be annulled, (2) that, as a prerequisite to reinstatement, he shall be certified by an independent health care professional in the appropriate field that he is in such condition that his ability to practice law will result in the protection of the public and (3) that he reimburse the Lawyer Disciplinary Board for the costs of these proceedings. [2] McCorkle filed an objection to the Subcommittee's recommended decision, and the case was submitted to this Court for review.