Opinion ID: 2517933
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: 20-Day Response Period

Text: ¶ 27 Mr. King is incorrect that civil court rules granted him more than 20 days to file an answer to the complaint. The CRs provide guidance for disciplinary proceedings and sometimes directly apply. ELC 10.1(a). However, ELC procedures trump conflicting CR procedures in disciplinary proceedings when the ELC does not expressly invoke CR procedures. ELC 1.1. Mr. King argues that because CR 4(d)(4) allows 90 days to file and serve an answer to a complaint served by mail, the 20-day limit imposed by the notice of answer was a due process violation. ELC 10.5(a) states that [w]ithin 20 days of service of the formal complaint and notice to answer, the respondent lawyer must file and serve an answer. ELC 4.1(b)(3)(B) and (C) govern service by mail in disciplinary proceedings for parties not found in Washington State and make no exception to the 20-day rule, nor do they invoke CR procedures. [5] Because 20 days is the proper time period for filing an answer to a complaint served by mail, imposing this time limit on Mr. King did not violate his due process rights. Further, though Mr. King was late in filing an answer, he received no sanction, so there is no harm to remedy.