Opinion ID: 1176389
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Cobarrubia Complaint.

Text: The first cause of complaint concerns a complaint against the accused by the Cobarrubia family and their California lawyer, John Kitta. In July 1982, members of the Cobarrubia family were injured in an automobile accident in Alameda County, California. The Cobarrubias, who then were living in Oregon, employed the accused to represent them in a claim for injuries arising from the automobile accident. At the Cobarrubias' suggestion, the accused associated Kitta. Kitta was to file the complaint, with Kitta and the accused agreeing to share fees in proportion to their responsibilities. Kitta filed the complaint in behalf of the Cobarrubias in Alameda County, California. From 1982 to September 1985, the Cobarrubias attempted to communicate with the accused regarding the status of their claim. The accused, however, did not return their telephone calls or otherwise communicate with the Cobarrubias. In September 1985, Kitta notified the accused by letter that the Cobarrubias wanted Kitta to act as their exclusive legal counsel. Kitta therefore requested that the accused forward the Cobarrubia file to Kitta's office. Kitta's letter was countersigned by Mr. and Mrs. Cobarrubia. When no response to his request for the file was forthcoming, Kitta had his office secretary telephone the accused every week to request the file. A second letter was sent, again requesting the file. Finally, the accused was reached by telephone on December 5, 1985. The accused told a member of Kitta's office that a copy of the file would be sent immediately. By January 29, 1986, however, Kitta still had not received the file. He again wrote to the accused, requesting the file, enclosing a Substitution of Attorney form executed by the Cobarrubias and dated September 25, 1985, and informing the accused that he would inform state and local bar associations if the accused did not respond within 10 days. Again, no response was forthcoming, so Kitta wrote to the Bar on February 28, 1986, and sought to file a complaint against the accused. On May 19, 1986, the accused finally forwarded a copy of the Cobarrubia file to Kitta. In conversations with a Bar investigator, the accused did not give a reasonable explanation for his behavior. The accused never claimed a lien on the Cobarrubia file for unpaid costs, nor did he rely upon any term or condition of his employment with the Cobarrubias. The only reason given by the accused for the delay was that he lost contact with the Cobarrubias, placed their file in storage, and then misfiled the file in storage. The accused had retrieved the file, however, by November 1985, which was at least six months before he finally did forward it to Kitta. The Bar has charged the accused with violating former DR 6-101(A)(3) (now DR 6-101(B)) and former DR 9-102(B)(4) (now DR 9-101(B)(4)) of the Code of Professional Responsibility. We will refer exclusively to the present version of these disciplinary rules because they, in all relevant respects, do not vary from their predecessors. DR 6-101(B) provides: A lawyer shall not neglect a legal matter entrusted to the lawyer. DR 9-101(B)(4) provides, in part: A lawyer shall: (4) Promptly pay or deliver to a client as requested by the client the funds, securities or other properties in the possession of the lawyer which the client is entitled to receive. In this case, the accused failed to communicate effectively with the Cobarrubias for three years regarding the claim they sought to bring in California. He placed their legal file in storage while their case was still active, misfiled the file, and then failed to forward the file to Kitta for seven months despite repeated requests that he do so. The accused's actions and omissions amount to neglect of a legal matter entrusted to him in violation of DR 6-101(B). We also conclude that the accused violated DR 9-101(B)(4). The accused was required, upon request of the Cobarrubias and their counsel, to forward the Cobarrubia file promptly to Kitta. This the accused failed to do, in violation of the disciplinary rule. In re Kneeland, 281 Or. 317, 574 P.2d 324 (1978).