Court Opinion

ID: 9585604
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:02:08.577464+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:21:37.666680
License: Public Domain

APPEL, Justice
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
I respectfully dissent. The majority has presented a thorough and thoughtful review of this unattractive record. My difficulty arises from the fact that this court is necessarily conducting its review on a cold record where credibility determinations are necessary to the outcome of the case.
There are numerous troubling features in the record. For instance, in a proceeding brought by Doe against her mother, Doe testified under oath that there was no sexual misconduct in her relationship with Marzen. In addition, prior to the events which give rise to these proceedings, Doe obtained a financial settlement in connection with a charge of sexual misconduct involving a probation officer. These facts raise substantial credibility issues.
The board has the burden to prove the allegations of misconduct contained in the complaint by a convincing preponderance of the evidence. While this burden is lower than in a criminal prosecution, it is higher than the burden in most civil cases. *770Iowa Supreme Ct. Bd. of Prof'l Ethics & Conduct v. Evans, 537 N.W.2d 783, 784 (Iowa 1995). A majority of the grievance commission members who heard the testimony determined that the board did not establish by a convincing preponderance of the evidence that Marzen engaged in sexual misconduct. On this record, I cannot conclude that the board met its heightened burden when the majority of the panel that actually heard the testimony came to a different conclusion.
I concur in the majority’s analysis and conclusions regarding the disclosure of confidential information. I would find that a public reprimand is the appropriate sanction for this violation.
BAKER, J., joins this concurrence in part and dissent in part.