Opinion ID: 4547195
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Representation of Tabitha Fitzgerald

Text: In 1996, respondent purchased a condo unit in Georgetown, which he later sold to a third party with an option to repurchase. In 2007, respondent opted to repurchase the unit but could not qualify for a mortgage. During this time, he was in a romantic relationship with Tabitha Fitzgerald. Respondent and Ms. Fitzgerald agreed that Ms. Fitzgerald would take title to the condo; respondent would live in it; respondent would not pay any rent; and respondent would pay the mortgage 6 payments, condo fees and assessments, and real estate taxes. In 2010 or early 2011, respondent’s relationship with Ms. Fitzgerald ended, and respondent stopped paying the mortgage and condo fees. Ms. Fitzgerald learned about respondent’s default when the condo association served her with a foreclosure notice. In May 2011, the association sued Ms. Fitzgerald in Superior Court to recover unpaid condo assessments and to foreclose on the condo. In that action, respondent agreed to represent Ms. Fitzgerald, and he filed an answer on her behalf. Respondent never informed Ms. Fitzgerald that she had a third-party claim against him based on his prior representations to her that he would make the payments for which she was being sued. Respondent did not inform her of his conflict of interest, did not obtain her informed consent to represent her despite the conflict, and did not make any written disclosures to her about any conflicts. 3 Rather, he advised her, without explaining the consequences, to execute a confessed judgment in favor of the condo association for $17,000 (the original principal amount of the unpaid fees). 4 3 Respondent “never even thought about” the possibility of a conflict of interest, reasoning that he represented Ms. Fitzgerald so that she did not have to hire another lawyer. In his view, he was attempting to “remedy a problem” he created “without further prejudice to Ms. Fitzgerald.” 4 The terms of the confessed judgment included monthly payment of owed fees and dismissal of the lawsuit. Respondent claims that the confessed judgment was not filed, but held in abeyance. 7 While respondent represented Ms. Fitzgerald in the association’s lawsuit, he separately filed a lawsuit against her, the condo association, and others in August 2013 seeking a declaratory judgment that he was the owner of the condo. Ms. Fitzgerald hired separate counsel, who filed an answer in respondent’s litigation denying his allegations and asserting a counterclaim for breach of his agreement to pay the mortgage and condo fees. Later in August 2013, and after consulting with his own attorney, respondent filed a motion to withdraw as counsel for Ms. Fitzgerald in the association’s litigation, citing “recent events” as causing a conflict of interest. In November 2013, the court denied without prejudice respondent’s motion to withdraw because he had not followed the proper procedure. Despite his acknowledgment of the conflict, respondent appeared as counsel for Ms. Fitzgerald in the association’s lawsuit at a status conference in January 2014 to discuss settlement of the case. Respondent did not refile a motion to withdraw until April 2014 (this time following the proper procedure), which the court granted in May 2014. In October 2014, the trial court granted the association leave to pursue a crossclaim against Ms. Fitzgerald in respondent’s litigation and dismissed the association’s suit against her. 5 5 In 2015, a jury denied respondent’s claim of ownership and awarded Ms. Fitzgerald $176,000 in damages arising from respondent’s failure to make the promised payments. 8