Court Opinion

ID: 9654671
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 18:46:46.149322+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:12.403507
License: Public Domain

BLACKMAR, Judge,
concurring.
I concur in substantially everything that is said in Judge Welliver’s thorough and careful opinion, and write separately only because of the public concern this case has aroused.
The principal opinion correctly points out that, when the matter of interim suspension was before us, the case had a very different aspect. I append a copy of an opinion I prepared and filed after the decision had been made, explaining my position. The views expressed are my own; I did not and do not purport to speak for the Court. It is significant that our order of February 23, 1983 specifically stated that the denial of suspension was “without prejudice to such informal and formal proceedings as the Advisory Committee may elect to institute....” 1 The Advisory Committee decided to wait until direct appellate review of the criminal proceeding had been concluded.
Now we have the entire case before us. I will not disagree with the dismissal of Count II, but observe that the respondent’s misconduct had its inception in a professional relationship and that he blended his professional and personal activities in a most unfortunate way. The problem is with the totality of his conduct, from the time when his admitted letters reached unacceptable depths and continuing through the wall painting incident of April 13, 1982. I am in full agreement with the Master’s *482finding that the respondent wrote, or caused the writing of, the anonymous letters, and was guilty of the enumerated acts of vandalism. His ultimate conviction is probative of his involvement in these matters, despite his denials. The circumstances are linked in an unbroken chain.
The respondent is not unfairly dealt with by the application of the doctrine of collateral estoppel. Even if we assume that the estoppel extends only to the bare facts charged in the information (quoted in my appended opinion), we may consider the sworn testimony in the criminal transcript for its bearing on both Count I and Count III. The respondent had the very best of representation and there was full opportunity for cross-examination. At the criminal trial he denied his guilt and his very presence at the scene, and so counsel may have had no particular reason to challenge the eyewitness testimony about what took place, but his present counsel could perfectly well have made an offer of proof before the Master as to any available evidence tending to refute any testimony at the criminal trial not involving identification. Nothing the Master said precluded such an offer, which is standard practice when evidence is excluded. The offer could have been renewed before us, and was not. I entertain no doubt that the wall was painted and the shot fired as described by the eyewitnesses, and that the respondent was the guilty party.
I also agree that the evidence shows, both under Count I and Count III, “illegal conduct involving moral turpitude,” (DR1-102(A)(3)) and “conduct that adversely reflects on [the respondent’s] fitness to practice law.” (DR1-102(A)(6)). The defendant’s conduct was protracted, gross, willful and malicious. He purposefully tried to inflict injury on “P”. The rather narrow criminal charge on which he was convicted is only a part of the picture. The evidence which this Court believes shows other criminal violations, including assault2 and what used to be called “malicious mischief”.3 Discipline is in order for personal misconduct as well as for dereliction of professional duty.4
I agree with Judge Welliver that petition signing contests and letter bombardments have no place in cases before this Court. Amicus briefs should impress with scholarship and logic and not with numbers; character witnesses should be distinguished by quality and familiarity rather than by quantity. I would not, however, fault the respondent or his counsel on account of the amicus briefs filed in this case. This case has generated public comment, emanating in part from people who should have remained silent. There was, at least to those sympathetic with respondent, the appearance of a clamor by the press and by politicians for his disbarment. There are lawyers who respect the respondent and clients who feel that he has served them well. Under these circumstances I can understand their desire to state their position. The so-called “amicus” briefs, furthermore, add little to the character evidence heard by the Master.5
What this character evidence shows is that the respondent is a capable lawyer who apparently continued his practice with minimal interference after he was apprehended and some of the sordid details established by the evidence were disclosed. If I were satisfied that the entire incident was safely behind him, I would hesitate to vote for disbarment. Punishment is for the criminal law. His conduct shown by the record, however, indicates that he is an unstable person who cannot be depended upon. Because of some quirk in his nature he responded to the breakup of an amatory *483interlude by a series of reprehensible acts, over a period of many months, culminating in violence directed against property and, finally, against persons. The character witnesses were skillfully cross-examined and showed only vague familiarity with the details of the respondent’s conduct. These details militate against the disposition they request.
The respondent has given us no assurance that the causative factors in his errant behavior have been eliminated. He and his counsel of course face a dilemma when they admit only minimal involvement and deny the rest of the charges. They basically disclaim the existence of a serious problem. Now, when we find that the charges are established, the respondent must take the consequences. Our findings are such that he now has the burden of demonstrating his continued fitness to practice. I am not willing to allow him to continue in practice unless and until there is some assurance that the internal forces which caused the initial problem have been brought under control. The record provides no assurance whatsoever.
Mention should be made of the respondent’s suggestion, through his counsel, that he be required to perform pro bono work as a sanction for such rule violations as the Court may find. The amici also endorse this suggestion. The proposal, however, is unacceptable. I heartily agree with counsel for the informants that a person who demonstrates such instability that he cannot be allowed to serve private clients may not be assigned to work for persons who have no freedom to choose counsel.
I agree that disbarment must be decreed.
APPENDIX
IN THE MATTER OF WILLIAM Y. FRICK
No. 64537
Nov. 2, 1983
SEPARATE OPINION
Because of misunderstandings which have arisen and which have been widely publicized, I have prepared and have directed the Clerk to file this opinion, explaining my vote against summary suspension. It represents only my views, but is consistent with the position I advocated in conference and by memoranda while the matter was pending, and with the position of the majority of the Court. I now regret not having expressed these views on the record sooner, because I feel that communication promotes understanding.
Missouri’s procedures for discipline of attorneys have been in place for many years. There is a two-level accusatory stage, with informal and formal hearings before the Advisory Committee or a Circuit Bar committee. If the Committee finds probable cause to believe that the Canons of Professional Ethics have been violated an Information is filed, customarily in this Court. If fact issues are presented, the Court appoints a Master to hear evidence and report, and the case is then briefed and argued before the Court. The procedure is designed to promote effective discipline, while affording the accused attorney the essentials of due process of law. It is often, unfortunately, time consuming. The procedure is set out in Rules 5.12 and 5.13.
Some lawyers, to our regret, run afoul of the criminal law. Final conviction of a crime is ground for disciplinary action. The Court may take the facts charged in the information or indictment as conclusive for disciplinary purposes once they are finally established by a criminal judgment. In re Lurkins, 374 S.W.2d 67 (Mo.1964). The convicted attorney will not be heard to say that he is not guilty of the offense of which he stands convicted. The attorney is entitled to offer evidence bearing on the sanction. Disbarment does not inevitably follow conviction. In re Burrus, 364 Mo. 22, 258 S.W.2d 625 (banc 1953) — one-year suspension for conviction for willful failure to file income tax, although the Court found that the offense involved “moral turpitude”; State v. Owen, 258 S.W.2d 662 (Mo.1953), conviction of the felony offense of “flourishing” a weapon in violation of *484§ 564.610, RSMo 1949, followed by a reprimand. The sanction is determined by the Court and is based on the circumstances of the case.
“Conviction” for disciplinary purposes has traditionally been defined in this state as final conviction, after all avenues of appeal have been exhausted. State ex rel. Larew v. Sale, 87 S.W. 967, 969 (Mo.1905). This meant that there were often long delays during which an attorney stood publicly convicted of a serious crime, but could continue to practice law while the appeal processes ran their course.1 To meet the problem as thus described this Court, in 1973, adopted Rule 5.20, providing as follows:
Upon receipt of information from The Advisory Committee or a Circuit Bar Committee that an attorney admitted to practice in Missouri has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude, whether the conviction resulted from a plea of guilty, nolo contendere or from a verdict after trial, this Court shall cause to be served on said attorney an order to show cause why said attorney should not be suspended from the practice of law pending the final disposition of any disciplinary proceeding based upon such conviction or misconduct which resulted in conviction. The pendency of an after-trial motion or an appeal shall not be a basis for delaying the entry of an Order of Suspension.
If an Order of Suspension based upon such conviction is entered and thereafter the suspended attorney files a certified copy of the order of a Court reversing the finding of guilty, this Court shall immediately enter an order reinstating said attorney unless he is under suspension or disbarred as a result of having been found guilty of professional misconduct in a disciplinary proceeding. Such reinstatement shall not bar prosecution in a disciplinary proceeding nor automatically terminate any disciplinary proceeding then pending against the attorney.
If the conviction is affirmed on appeal, the Committee shall file with the Court a motion to discipline, together with a certified copy of the judgment, whereupon the attorney shall be subject to discipline by the Court without the requirement of a proceeding before The Advisory Committee or any Circuit Bar Committee.
This rule sought to effect a compromise between the interests of the accused attorney and those of the public. It provides for interim suspension, and properly treats the underlying conviction as establishing a probability of correctness sufficient to justify summary action. The rule does not provide for an automatic suspension, but rather provides for an “order to show cause,” to be served on the attorney. The rule, furthermore, made use of a phrase with substantial history, in requiring a showing of a “crime involving moral turpitude.” In using this phrase, the Court may have adopted a narrower rule than that which the American Bar Association recommended, in which the phrase “serious crime” was used. Whatever the reason, however, the rule did not by its terms authorize interim suspension for all crimes, or even for all felonies.
On October 21, 1982 the respondent was found guilty and received a suspended sentence of one year, under an information charging the following:
The Special Prosecuting Attorney of Adair, State of Missouri, charges that the defendant, in violation of § 571.030, RSMo 1981, Cum.Supp., committed the Class D felony of unlawful use of a weapon, punishable upon a conviction under § 558.011(4) and 560.011, RSMo., in that on April 13, 1982, in the County of Adair, State of Missouri, the defendant knowingly exhibited, in the presence of one or more persons, a weapon readily capable of lethal use in an angry or threatening manner.
*485On November 4, 1982 the General Chairman of the Advisory Committee filed in this Court an Information under Rule 5.20, asserting that the respondent has been convicted of a “crime involving moral turpitude,” and asking that he be required to show cause why he should not be suspended pending appeal of his conviction. The Court promptly issued an order to show cause.
A return was timely filed by the respondent through his counsel, R. Lawrence Ward, Esq., a lawyer of outstanding reputation and President of the Kansas City Bar Association. He filed a brief asserting that the offense charged did not involve moral turpitude, and furnished copious citations of authority.2 On January 12, 1983, the Court directed the Advisory Committee to respond to the return, which it did in the form of a memorandum of law filed by its staff attorney, and respondent’s counsel filed a reply brief. The issue was then before us for decision, with the benefit of able briefing on both sides.
The transcript of the trial was not then available. The Committee did not ask the Court to go beyond the formal record, consisting of the information and the Circuit Court’s judgment of conviction. It argued that these documents established conviction of an offense involving moral turpitude, and that no hearing was necessary. The respondent argued, just as strongly, that the offense did not involve moral turpitude.
The issue before us, then, was whether the offense charged involved “moral turpitude.” Unless this question can be answered in the affirmative, there is no basis in the rule for an interim suspension. I studied the cases cited in the briefs and was persuaded that offenses of the kind described in the information have not traditionally been included within that phrase, in the numerous cases which have considered the point. The Advisory Committee cited only one case for its position, and that involved a much more serious offense.3 It is reasonable to assume that this Court, when adopting Rule 5.20, intended that the frequently used phrase be construed as it had been construed historically.
The Advisory Committee argued that the Court, in the past, has always concluded that any felony necessarily involves moral turpitude within the meaning of Rule 5.20. I can find no indication that the Court ever had before it a case even close to this one factually, in determining the meaning of “moral turpitude,”4 or that it analyzed the meaning of the phrase in any recorded decision applying the rule. Had the Court in adopting Rule 5.20 intended to authorize summary interim suspension for conviction of any felony, it would have been easy to say so.
Whether Rule 5.20 should now be amended to substitute “felony” for “moral turpitude,” 5 or to provide “felony or offense *486involving moral turpitude,” on the thought that some non-felony offenses might fall within the latter category, (Cf. In re Burrus, supra) is entirely appropriate for consideration, but the interim suspension of the respondent must find its justification within the four corners of the present rule, and not on one’s ideas about what the rule ought to be. One thing to consider is that the Court, in the past, has declined to order any suspension at all in at least one case in which there was a conviction of a felony which was the direct predecessor of the offense charged against the respondent. State v. Owen, supra.
One purpose of Rule 5.20 is to permit the interim suspension of a lawyer following conviction of an offense which, if the facts charged are finally established, is such that disbarment would undoubtedly follow. Offenses in this category include perjury, obstruction of justice, extortion, making of false claims, and tax evasion. The great majority of courts which have passed on the issue do not consider that offenses of the type charged against this respondent involve moral turpitude, viewing them as offenses of passion or transitory delinquency rather than as demonstrating depravity of character. Perhaps the Court had a distinction of this sort in mind when it framed Rule 5.20. Perhaps there was a feeling that there should not be an interim suspension except in a case in which substantial suspension or disbarment would be highly likely on final conviction.
Some members of the Committee complained that the Court did not sufficiently explain the reasons underlying its decision. It should be evident that the decision was reached after consideration of the issues briefed. I have now tried to explain my thinking about the issues presented, but do not purport to speak for other members of the Court.
Interim suspension is a drastic thing, to be ordered only when strictly authorized by the rules. Based on my study of the briefs, I simply could not vote for interim suspension. We must never allow considerations of expediency, or fear of adverse publicity, to prevail over our considered view of the law, based on study of the authorities. Some of my brothers may take a different view of the law. This is, of course, their privilege, but, once I reached a judgment as to the requirements of the law, my duty was clear.
The respondent has not been “immunized” on account of the offense of which he was convicted. If the conviction is affirmed on appeal then the responsible authorities may use the conviction as the basis for proceedings under Rules 5.12 and 5.13. Or they may proceed under these rules at any time without reference to the criminal proceedings.
CHARLES B. BLACKMAR, Judge

. No member of the Court voted for immediate summary suspension. Those who expressed disagreement with the Court’s order noted preference for a stay pending resolution in federal court of constitutional problems attending our Rule 5.20 (which I do not perceive).

. See §§ 565.050, 565.060, RSMo 1978.

. See §§ 569.080(2), 569.090(1), 569.100(1), 569.-110(1), 569.120(1), RSMo 1978.

. In re Conner, 357 Mo. 270, 207 S.W.2d 492 (Mo. banc 1948); In re Moon, 310 S.W.2d 935 (Mo. banc 1958).

.A party should be solicitous of the Master’s and opposing counsel’s time, by limiting the number of character witnesses. It is quite usual, however, to obtain stipulations that other persons, if called, would testify as the character witnesses have.

. The disciplinary authorities are not required to wait until the criminal processes are exhausted. In re Richards, 333 Mo. 907, 63 S.W.2d 672 (banc 1933). They may initiate proceedings independently, but, if doing so, must establish the facts in an evidentiary hearing. Because of the duplication of effort, it is usual to abide the result of the criminal action.

. Cited were Annotation 21 A.L.R.3d 887, 890 (1968) and recent cases including Attorney Grievance Commission v. Klauber, 283 Md. 597, 391 A.2d 849 (1978); The Florida Bar v. Cohen, 191 So.2d 49 (Fla.1966); The Florida Bar v. Ragano, 270 So.2d 3 (Fla.1972). The Advisory Committee did not respond to nor make any attempt to distinguish the cases cited by the respondent.

. The Committee cited Oklahoma Bar Association v. Seelye, 490 P.2d 1095 (Okla.1971), involving a conviction and five year sentence for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The severity of the sentence shows that the case was a serious one. More important for present purposes, however, is that the attorney did not contest the disciplinary proceedings, so that a studied decision was not required. Nor did the disposition depend on a finding of "moral turpitude.”

. The case is the first Rule 5.20 case I have participated in, but nobody called my attention to any case in which the Court construed the phrase "moral turpitude” as used in this rule. The Advisory Committee cited a case in which a lawyer was charged with filing and collecting a false claim against the federal government, and this offense would seem to be within any definition of "moral turpitude.”

. New York imposes automatic disbarment by statute, following conviction of a felony. Mitchell v. Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 40 N.Y.2d 153, 386 N.Y.S.2d 95, 351 N.E.2d 743 (1976), cited by the Advisory Committee. Action under this statute is not prece*486dent for proceedings under our very different rule. The particular case involved conviction for perjury and obstruction of justice.