Opinion ID: 1358696
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Burton Personal Injury Matter Alleged Violation by Petitioner of his Oath and Duties as an Attorney

Text: (2) In January 1966, Richard Burton, then about 15 1/2 years old, was severely injured while on a bicycle when he was struck by an automobile driven by a Mrs. Kennedy, who was then in her 80's. Richard's parents knew petitioner through church membership, and shortly after the accident petitioner was employed to handle the case on a contingent fee basis. On May 8, 1967, more than a year after the accident, petitioner filed a civil action through the firm of Gordon and Taylor. It sought damages for Richard's personal injury and, in a second count by Mr. Burton, a co-plaintiff, recovery of hospital and medical expenses incurred. Some time after the initial conference with petitioner, the Burtons paid him $35 for the filing fee. The Burtons would see petitioner after church, and they apparently both felt that the case was progressing well for about a year. They testified, however, that after petitioner moved to the new office, it was difficult to reach him and that they made various telephone calls and left messages, without success. Mr. Burton said that he took a day off from work in May or June 1968 to go to the new office in an effort to contact petitioner, but did not find him there and received no response to a note left on petitioner's desk requesting that petitioner call him. Mrs. Burton testified that she and Richard had in August 1968 dropped in at the new office and found petitioner in. She said that petitioner assured them at that time that the case would be completed within a few months and that, as a result, their faith in petitioner was restored. After that visit, however, petitioner never contacted them. Mr. Burton testified that in August 1969 he made an appointment over the telephone for the three of them to see petitioner on August 28, 1969, but that although they went to the new office at the time set and waited half an hour, petitioner did not appear. He said that he left word for petitioner to call him, but he never heard or talked with petitioner after making the telephone appointment. The Burtons then contacted the local bar association and were referred to the State Bar. Mrs. Burton said that they knew they were under a contract with petitioner to handle the case, and they did not want to do anything wrong. In October or November 1969, Mr. Burton obtained a new attorney, who was substituted as plaintiffs' counsel. On July 15, 1970, the case was concluded by approval of a minor's compromise for $6,700. Of this amount, $1,938.61 was allowed for attorney's fees and expenses, and the balance of $4,761.39 was to be held for the minor. No attorney's fee was paid to petitioner. Petitioner testified that although he made efforts to do so, he was not able to locate Mrs. Kennedy, the driver of the car which struck Richard, but that he was able to locate her insurer, a small company which had headquarters outside of California; that through adjusters employed by it in California he negotiated a settlement offer of $6,000, which he submitted to the Burtons; that the Burtons rejected the offer and authorized him to try to obtain $8,000; and that he attempted to obtain a higher offer through the adjuster, but nothing was heard from the insurer over a long period of time. The Burtons could recall little or nothing about the settlement proposals about which petitioner testified, but Mrs. Burton said that she recalled petitioner's telling her about difficulty in locating Mrs. Kennedy. Petitioner said that the $6,000 settlement discussion was probably in March or April 1968. He further testified that in July or August 1969 he received a letter from Mr. Burton advising that he wished to change attorneys and that, being in the military service, he had contacted a friend, a Mr. Rubenson, to obtain the file from his office or home and deliver it to the Burtons or their new attorney, as they wished. Petitioner said that later in the year he received word from Mr. Rubenson that the file had been delivered. He also said that he had indicated he would give Mr. Burton a release or whatever he needed for another attorney. From the time he was employed in early 1966 until June 1969, petitioner had had a period of more than three years in which to trace Mrs. Kennedy, either personally or through investigators; but he failed to locate her. From the record, it is apparent that petitioner gave no adequate explanation for his failure during such period of time to locate the driver of the car which caused the injury, to prosecute the lawsuit, and to protect the causes of action. [5] Petitioner, however, admittedly had located the insurer and obtained a settlement offer probably in March or April 1968. It was at that time, it will be recalled, that he began to devote his efforts principally to business activities. Petitioner's course of inattention and sporadic effort over a long period of time in the prosecution of the lawsuit is not only inconsistent with his oath and duties as an attorney, but could seriously have jeopardized his clients' rights. Petitioner said that he left private practice because he did not have sufficient funds or clientele to maintain a private law practice and that at the time he entered the military service in June 1969 he was not practicing law to any extent, his only law business being the Burton and Goodkin cases. Although he said that he expected his active military service to result in only a temporary absence from the Los Angeles area, he was away until April 1971. He admits that he never informed the Burtons that he was going into the military service and would not complete their case. He did indicate, however, that he thought everyone in the church of which both he and the Burtons were members knew that he was leaving to go into the military service. Even though petitioner apparently expected to return from military service in September 1969, and even though the church membership generally knew he was going into the military service, he still owed a duty to his clients to reveal the material change of circumstances that affected the conduct of the legal matter which they had entrusted to him. Furthermore, as hereinabove indicated, petitioner gave assurances to Mrs. Burton and Richard in August 1968 that the case should be completed in the very near future, and a finding was made that petitioner knew the representation to be false, because the complaint and summons had not been served, and no other steps had been taken which would result in a conclusion of the case. With respect to the appointment which Mr. Burton claimed he had made for August 28, 1969, petitioner testified that he did not recall the appointment and thought that Mr. Burton was in error, as he thought he was not in Los Angeles in August but was there some time in September. Documentary evidence, however, substantiates Mr. Burton's account. Petitioner wrote a letter, dated September 18, 1969, to the State Bar, indicating that he had just returned from a period of extended military duty in Kansas, but the envelope in which the letter arrived was postmarked in Beverly Hills August 18, 1969, and the face of the letter bears the Received stamp of the Los Angeles office of the State Bar with the date of Aug 19 1969. Under all the circumstances, the finding of culpability on count 1 (the Burton count) is warranted.