Opinion ID: 1464420
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Conduct Involving Dishonesty, Fraud, Deceit or Misrepresentation in Violation of RPC 8.4(c)

Text: Both the Special Master and the DRB concluded that respondent engaged in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation when he entered into a loan agreement with his client that was patently unfair and unreasonable to his client, misrepresented the extent of his interests in certain assets, and never intended to provide security for the loan. We agree. RPC 8.4(c) provides that it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation. In the present case, respondent violated that rule when he misrepresented in the loan agreement that he owned land worth at least $150,000. Respondent's testimony that he had forgotten that his wife owned the property is at best disingenuous. The record indicates that prior to the instant matter respondent and his wife planned to protect their assets by putting them in respondent's wife's name. In fact, respondent had deeded his interest in their residence to his wife before 1991.