BOARD MEMBERS FREDERICK G. BUESSER, JR. JOHN L. COTE, CHAIRPERSON MSGR. CLEMENT H. KERN DAVID BAKER LEWIS, SECRETARY FRANK J. MCDEVITT, D.O. WILLIAM G. REAMON LYNN H. SHECTER. VICE-CHAIRPERSON
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STATE O F MICHIGAN
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J O H N F. X . DWAIHY Exe u t i v e D ' r ec to & beneral tounsef SUITE I 2 6 0 333 W. FORT STREET DETROIT. MICHIGAN 4 8 2 2 6
TELEPHONE: (313) 9 6 3 - 5 5 5 3
This i s t o inform t h e Cour t s of t h e S t a t e of Michigan of t h e fo l lowing Order of D i s c i p l i n e :
NOTICE OF REPRIMAND F i l e No. DP-177/80 ALBERT A. CHAPPELL, (P24900), 485 Orchard Lake Road, Pon t i ac , M I 48053, by At torney D i s c i p l i n e Board Oak- l a n d C i r c u i t Hearing Panel " I " .
(1) Reprimand; ( 2 ) E f f e c t i v e February 17 , 1981. The Formal Complaint charged t h a t Respondent w a s p a i d a r e t a i n e r f e e i n a d i v o r c e m a t t e r and f a i l e d t o f i l e s u i t o r perform any of t h e s e r v i c e s f o r which he was r e t a i n e d , t h a t Respondent, having promised t o r e t u r n t h e unearned f e e , f a i l e d , neg lec t ed and /o r r e f u s e d t o do s o , and t h a t Respondent d i d abandon h i s c l i e n t , r e s u l t i n g i n p r e j u d i c e t o t h e r i g h t s of t h e c l i e n t , i n v i o l a t i o n of GCR 953 ( 1 - 4 ) and Canons 1, 6 , 7 and 9 of t h e Code of P r o f e s s i o n a l R e s p o n s i b i l i t y .
The Hearing Panel determined t h a t t h e a l l e g a t i o n s i n t h e Complaint were proven, t h a t Respondent, however, d i d e v e n t u a l l y make r e s t i t u t i o n t o t h e c l i e n t , t h a t Respondent
was i n d e f a u l t by f a i l i n g t o answer t h e Formal Complaint, t h a t Respondent s u b s t a n t i a l l y admi t t ed t h e a l l e g a t i o n s i n h i s own tes t imony, and t h a t Respondent had v i o l a t e d t h e d i s c i p l i n a r y r u l e s as a l l e g e d . The Panel a l s o no ted a r e c o r d of a p r i o r reprimand r e l a t e d t o a f a i l u r e t o r e t u r n a r e t a i n e r f e e , which Respondent c l a i m s has subsequent ly
been r e t u r n e d ; t h e r e c o r d r e f l e c t s t h a t c o s t s i n t h e former d i s c i p l i n a r y proceeding i n t h e amount of $419.50, were n o t p a i d by Respondent. The Hearing Pane l a s s e s s e d c o s t s i n t h e p r e s e n t c a s e i n t h e amount of $111.00.
Date of I s suance :
David Baker Lewis, S e c r e t a r y ATTORNEY DISCIPLINE BOARD
.L 3 1981
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