Court Opinion

ID: 9754763
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 20:12:46.929961+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:27:57.440301
License: Public Domain

BELL, C.J.,
in which ELDRIDGE, J., joins.
The sanction imposed by the Court in this case is that recommended by the petitioner, the Attorney Grievance Commission, an indefinite suspension. That is the appropriate sanction for this case, I agree. I do not agree either with the reasons why the majority imposed it1 or that the case ordi*495narily would be governed by Attorney Griev. Comm’n v. Vanderlinde, 364 Md. 376, 773 A.2d 463 (2001). To be sure, I am fully cognizant of the pronouncements we made in Vanderlinde. Indeed, I do not disavow those pronouncements and, in fact, in an appropriate case, I not only would endorse them, but would willingly apply them. Quite simply, I do not believe the Vanderlinde rule applies to the facts sub judice. A case more on point and that I believe to be dispositive is Attorney Griev. Comm’n v. Hayes, 367 Md. 504, 789 A.2d 119 (2002).
Vanderlinde, although an attorney, was employed in a nonlegal capacity with King’s Contrivance Community Association. While so employed, she misappropriated $3,880.67 from the Community, which she used for her own purposes. She replaced the money before she left her employment with the Association. Vanderlinde, 364 Md. at 381, 773 A.2d at 465. Vanderlinde, who admitted the violations, was found to have *496violated Rules 8.4.a., 8.4.b., and 8.4.c. of the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct, as adopted by Maryland Rule 16-812. Id. at 381, 773 A.2d at 466. To avoid the severe sanction of disbarment, she offered by way of mitigation “the pressures of her life and the impairment of her mental faculties, including her periods of depression.” Id. This Court rejected that defense. It then announced the rule that would govern future similar cases:
“[I]n cases of intentional dishonesty, misappropriation cases, fraud, stealing, serious criminal conduct and the like, we will not accept, as ‘compelling extenuating circumstances,’ anything less than the most serious and utterly debilitating mental or physical health conditions, arising from any source that is the ‘root cause’ of the misconduct and that also result in an attorney’s utter inability to conform his or her conduct in accordance with the law and with the MRPC. Only if the circumstances are that compelling, will we even consider imposing less than the most severe sanction of disbarment in cases of stealing, dishonesty, fraudulent conduct, the intentional misappropriation of funds or other serious criminal conduct, whether occurring in the practice of law, or otherwise.”
Id. at 413-14, 773 A.2d at 485. The Court explained:
“Upon reflection as a Court, in disciplinary matters, we will not in the future attempt to distinguish between degrees of intentional dishonesty based upon convictions, testimonials or other factors. Unlike matters relating to competency, diligence and the like, intentional dishonest conduct is closely entwined with the most important matters of basic character to such a degree as to make intentional dishonest conduct by a lawyer almost beyond excuse. Honesty and dishonesty are, or are not, present in an attorney’s character.”
Id. at 418, 773 A.2d at 488.
In Attorney Griev. Comm’n v. Lane, 367 Md. 633, 790 A.2d 621(2002), the Court, speaking through Judge Cathell, the author of the Vanderlinde opinion, revisited the issue of the *497effect of mitigation in the kind of cases Vanderlinde addressed. Agreeing with the respondent in the case that, in attorney grievance proceedings, rather than take a procrustean approach, the facts and circumstances, to include the mitigation involved, must be examined in each case, the Court confirmed that “[d]isbarment ordinarily should be the sanction for intentional dishonest conduct.” Id. at 646, 790 A.2d at 628 (quoting Vanderlinde, 364 Md. at 418, 773 A.2d at 488). We acknowledged, however, that disbarment is ' not always the appropriate sanction “when there is misrepresentation involved, especially where misappropriation of money was not involved.” To demonstrate the point, we relied on Attorney Griev. Comm’n v. Harrington, 367 Md. 36, 785 A.2d 1260 (2001), in which an indefinite suspension was imposed on an attorney, whose major transgression, except for one misrepresentation made to one client, was his lack of cooperation with the Attorney Grievance Commission.
“We did not apply Vanderlinde as a bright-line rule, but applied the facts and circumstances of that case to determine the appropriate sanction. What Vanderlinde holds is that ‘ordinarily’ disbarment will be the appropriate sanction when dishonesty is involved, however, we must still examine the facts, circumstances, and mitigation in each case. In Harrington, there was one instance of a degree of misrepresentation. There was, however, no pattern of a course of deceitful conduct over an extensive period of time sufficient, in our view, to support a disbarment. The gravamen of the disciplinary proceeding was the attorney’s lack of diligence and his lack of cooperation with bar counsel. There, we determined that the appropriate sanction was an indefinite suspension.”
Lane, 367 Md. at 647, 790 A.2d at 628-29.
Hayes was charged with violation of Maryland Code (1989, 2000 Repl.Vol., 2002 Cum.Supp.) § 10-306 of the Business Occupations and Professions Article and Rules 1.15.a., 8.4.a.,2 *49816-607, Commingling of Funds,3 and 16-609, Prohibited Transactions.4 Rather than mount a defense on the merits, Hayes offered, as a compelling, extenuating circumstance, the attention deficit disorder from which he suffered and argued that “the acts to which he has readily admitted, while wrong and inexcusable, reflect no intentional fraud, deceit, or dishonesty.” Id. at 511, 789 A.2d at 123. The Commission recommended disbarment. It argued in support of that sanction the *499Court’s “consistent and repeated admonition that ‘[m]isappropriation of funds by an attorney is an act infested with deceit and dishonesty and ordinarily will result in disbarment in the absence of compelling extenuating circumstances justifying a lesser sanction,’ ” id., quoting Attorney Griev. Comm’n v. Bakas, 323 Md. 395, 403, 593 A.2d 1087, 1091 (1991) and relying on Attorney Griev. Comm’n v. Bernstein, 363 Md. 208, 226, 768 A.2d 607, 617 (2001); Attorney Griev. Comm’n v. Tomaino, 362 Md. 483, 498, 765 A.2d 653, 661 (2001); Attorney Griev. Comm’n v. Sheridan, 357 Md. 1, 27, 741 A.2d 1143, 1156 (1999), and that Vanderlinde required rejection of attention deficit disorder as a compelling extenuating circumstance. 367 Md. at 510, 789 A.2d at 123.
We opted for an indefinite suspension, with the right to apply for readmission after ninety (90) days. Explaining our decision, we said:
“In the case sub judice, there is neither a finding that the respondent violated a disciplinary rule necessarily implicating his honesty or integrity, nor a finding by the hearing judge that the respondent’s actions were taken with a dishonest or fraudulent intent. Indeed, as the respondent points out, he was not even charged with violating Rule 8.4(c). Moreover, the findings that the hearing judge made with regard to mitigating factors are inconsistent with and, thus tend[ ] to negate, any dishonest or fraudulent intent. We hold, under these circumstances, the automatic disbarment rule for misappropriation does not apply, that this is not the kind of willful conduct to which the rule was directed or intended to reach. To hold otherwise would result in the mere doing of the act which constitutes the violation being dispositive, in effect irrebuttable, sinee the mental state of the respondent would be rendered irrelevant and certainly non-mitigating.
“Considering the purpose of disciplinary proceedings and the sanctions that flow from them, to protect the public, Jeter, 365 Md. at 289, 778 A.2d. at 396; Bernstein, 363 Md. at 226, 768 A.2d at 616-17; Attorney Griev. Comm’n v. *500Koven, 361 Md. 337, 343, 761 A.2d 881, 884 (2000), the facts and circumstances of this case, Attorney Griev. Comm’n v. Tolar, 357 Md. 569, 585, 745 A.2d 1045, 1053 (2000), including the respondent’s prior spotless record, see Attorney Griev. Comm’n v. Franz, 355 Md. 752, 762-63, 736 A.2d 339, 344 (1999); Maryland State Bar Ass’n v. Phoebus, 276 Md. 353, 362, 347 A.2d 556, 561 (1975), the respondent’s candor and remorse,, and the hearing judge’s finding that the respondent had no intent to defraud, we think the appropriate sanction is a period of suspension, rather than disbarment.”
Id. at 519-20, 789 A.2d at 128-29.
In this case, to be sure, the respondent admitted, and the hearing court found, a violation of Rule 8.4.C., thus implicating dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation. On the other hand, the hearing court found that the respondent had a severe mental illness that was diagnosed at about the time that she was retained by Ms. Yirsaw and, moreover, that the respondent “had little control over her impaired judgment and that it was a product of her brain disease.” These findings are not disputed or challenged by the petitioner and, in fact, constitute the basis for the petitioner’s indefinite suspension recommendation. It is also significant that that recommendation was made notwithstanding the petitioner’s belief that the respondent exhibited a pattern of dishonesty. The hearing court’s findings with respect to the respondent’s mental illness thus undermine the Rule 8.4 violation; stated simply, they tend to negate the intentional nature of the respondent’s conduct.
In addition, the hearing court found that the respondent was remorseful, not attempting to offer excuses and fully admitting her transgressions. Nor is there a finding in this case of “a pattern of a course of deceitful conduct over an extensive period of time.” Lane, 367 Md. at 647, 790 A.2d at 629. This case is, therefore, more akin to Hayes and Harrington than it is to Vanderlinde. Accordingly, a sanction *501similar to the sanction imposed in those cases is appropriate. That sanction in this case is an indefinite suspension.
Judge ELDRIDGE joins the views expressed herein.

. To be sure, relying on the findings of the hearing court with regard to mitigation and, like the hearing court, notwithstanding the Rule 8.4.d *495violation, the petitioner has recommended indefinite suspension, rather than disbarment. As we have seen, the respondent neither filed exceptions, nor, although notified of the petitioner’s recommendation, appeared at the hearing in this Court to challenge that recommendation. It is conceivable that she believes indefinite suspension is, and thus accepts it as, the appropriate sanction. And, given the petitioner's recommendation, it is not unlikely lhat she believed that indefinite suspension was her maximum exposure. To that extent, I concur with the majority’s reasoning. That is not a sufficient basis, in my view for the result; unless the sanction that results from the respondent’s default is one that could be imposed were there to have been a contested hearing, it simply can not be imposed, not even in the interest of fairness. If, for example, the recommendation was a reprimand and the conduct, theft, the respondent’s default would not in that case get the respondent a reprimand.
The majority recognizes that the respondent’s “ 'severe mental illness’ may have affected her judgment as to the prudential course of conduct to be taken in view of the assumed exposure to the sanction she might be facing, based on Bar Counsel’s recommendation,” 373 Md. 493-94, 819 A.2d 350 (2003), and, in fact, credits as seeming to be reasonable "[sjuch reasoning in the mind of an attorney who has admitted her misconduct and continues to fight her related mental illness.” Id. It is curious to me that it does not also recognize that the same mental illness, as to which there is no dispute either as to its existence or causal relationship to the misconduct, could negate the intentional nature of the conduct when, in this case, that seems to have been precisely what was found by the hearing court, judging from its mitigation findings.

. Maryland Rule 8.4.a. prohibits a lawyer from "violat[ing] or attempting] to violate the Rules of Professional Conduct, [or] knowingly *498assisting] or induc[ing] another to do so, or do[ing] so through acts of another.”

. Maryland Rule 16-607, captioned "Commingling of Funds,” provides:
"a. General Prohibition. An attorney or law firm may deposit in an attorney trust account only those funds required to be deposited in that account by Rule 16-604 or permitted to be so deposited by section b. of this Rule.
"b. Exceptions.
"1. An attorney or law firm shall either (A) deposit into an attorney trust account funds to pay any fees, service charges, or minimum balance required by the financial institution to open or maintain the account, including those fees that cannot be charged against interest due to the Maryland Legal Services Corporation Fund pursuant to Rule 16-610 b 1(D), or (B) enter into an agreement with the financial institution to have any fees or charges deducted from an operating account maintained by the attorney or law firm. The attorney or law firm may deposit into an attorney trust account any funds expected to be advanced on behalf of a client and expected to be reimbursed to the attorney by the client. "2. An attorney or law firm may deposit into an attorney trust account funds belonging in part to a client and in part presently or potentially to the attorney or law firm. The portion belonging to the attorney or law firm shall be withdrawn promptly when the attorney or law firm becomes entitled to the funds, but any portion disputed by the client shall remain in the account until the dispute is resolved.
"3. Funds of a client or beneficial owner may be pooled and commingled in an attorney trust account with the funds held for other clients or beneficial owners.”

. Maryland Rule 16-609, captioned, "Prohibited Transactions,” provides:
"An attorney or law firm may not borrow or pledge any funds required by these Rules to be deposited in an attorney trust account, obtain any remuneration from the financial institution for depositing any funds in the account, or use any funds for any unauthorized purpose. An instrument drawn on an attorney trust account may not be drawn payable to cash or to bearer.”