Court Opinion

ID: 9753573
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 19:18:51.541076+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:27:38.353742
License: Public Domain

HARRELL, J., Concurring, in which ADKINS, J., joins.
Although I join the Court’s judgment and opinion in the present case, I think it worth noting the context of how this case was presented to the hearing judge and this Court, which limits the precedential value of the case. I hope thereby not to see this case offered in the future as an authority for some purpose other than for what it holds.
The misappropriation of client funds “is a most egregious violation,” Attorney Grievance Comm’n v. Glenn, 341 Md. 448, 489, 671 A.2d 463, 483 (1996), and, if intentional, “ordinarily will result in disbarment in the absence of compelling extenuating circumstances justifying a lesser sanction.” Attorney Grievance Comm’n v. Vanderlinde, 364 Md. 376, 406, 773 A.2d 463, 480 (2001). Negligent misappropriation, on the other hand, does not usually result in disbarment, but is more often met with an indefinite suspension, frequently with a right to reapply for reinstatement after a specified period of time.
Because of the way that Bar Counsel pursued and argued the violations charged in the present case, there was no need *27for the hearing judge (or this Court) to determine conclusively for purposes of MRPC 1.15 whether Khandpur’s misappropriation (i.e., depositing the $750.00 check in his personal bank account) was intentional or negligent. This is so because Bar Counsel did not assert that the misconduct upon which the MRPC 1.15 violation was predicated was the relevant misconduct for purposes of determining whether Khandpur violated MRPC 8.4(c). Rather, Bar Counsel argued that Khandpur’s misconduct with regard to the charge of violation of MRPC 8.1 supported the 8.4(c) charge. As the Court’s opinion points out, the hearing judge rejected Bar Counsel’s discriminating argument with respect to MRPC 8.4(c), finding that the MRPC 8.1 misconduct was negligent and not intentional. Majority op. at 7, 25 A.3d at 169.
Had Bar Counsel contended that Khandpur’s MRPC 1.15 misconduct supported the 8.4(c) charge, I would have argued strenuously with my colleagues to remand the case to the hearing judge to determine explicitly whether Khandpur’s misconduct under MRPC 1.15 was intentional or negligent, as such a finding would be integral in addressing the MRPC 8.4(c) charge and the appropriate sanction. Indeed, the Court’s opinion concedes that the hearing judge did not find or conclude that Khandpur’s misconduct under MRPC 1.15 was intentional or negligent. See Majority op. at 17, 25 A.3d at 174-75 (“[T]he hearing judge did not ... make any finding with regard [to] Respondent’s level of intent with regard to his handling of trust funds.”). As it is, the Court’s opinion and sanction is appropriate for this case, as it was presented and argued to the hearing judge and this Court.
Judge ADKINS authorizes me to state that she joins in the views expressed in this concurring opinion.