Court Opinion

ID: 9847930
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 04:10:03.957078+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:17:47.718120
License: Public Domain

WINANS, Justice
(dissenting).
I concur in the dissent of Justice Dunn. Also I am in agreement with the majority that our disbarment procedures are constitutional. I would add but a short statement as background. The referee made rather short shrift of the Bosanco charge and I think he was correct in so doing. Whatever complaint was originally made by Dr. Ferguson or his brother John or both against John Goodrich appears to have been completely adjusted and settled among themselves. This is borne out by an Exhibit *154signed by Dr. Ferguson under date of June 16, 1971. It also appears that nearly one year earlier the office of the Attorney General of the State of South Dakota, by a letter addressed to the Chairman of the South Dakota Grievance Committee, dated August 26, 1970, was likewise satisfied with the explanation and showing made by Goodrich, through his attorney, of his conduct then under investigation. The last paragraph of the Attorney General’s letter concludes with this statement:
“Unless this office is notified by either the Grievance Committee or the South Dakota Supreme Court that further action or investigation is required by the Attorney General, we will close our file in this case.”
What I believe we have in this proceeding against Mr. Goodrich is a highly technical possible violation and a super-sensitive vindication of Canon 11 of Professional Ethics of the State Bar of South Dakota in force and effect in 1968 as set forth in the Court’s opinion. I do not believe that the following language of such opinion is either justified or warranted by the record: “* * * and which $1,900 was procured through accused’s deceit, fraud and misrepresentation.” These are serious charges, the same on which the Attorney General had previously closed his files. I think the majority opinion goes too far and at too late a date. For these reasons, I dissent from the judgment of outright disbarment in this case.