STATE OF MIICHIIGANN Attttoorrnneey Disscipliinnee Board
Griieevvaannccee Admiinniissttrraator,, Petitiooneer//Appppeelleleee,, v Denniiss H.. Snyder, P 29791, Respondenntl/Appppeellel ee,, Case No. 12-81-GA
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Decided: Apriil 1,, 20715 Ameendeedd} Appearøances:: Pattriick K. McGliinnnn,, for the Grieevaanccee Adminiisstrrator beforee the Hearing Panel Diina P.. Dajani,, for the Grieevaanccee Adminisstrator on review, only, Pettiitioner/Appellleee Tedd E.. Bean, for the Respondeenntl/Appppeellel ee Regiinalld Westton,, Complainant/Appppeellalanntt, , in pro per
BOARD OPIINION
The compllaiinantt in this matftrerÍ, Regiinalld Westton, filed a pettiition for review in accordance wiitth MCR 9..11188(A(Ð) seekkiing review of the order of dismissal entered by Genesee County Hearing Panell #4 oonn June 19,, 201144. . The Attorney Discipline Board has conducted review proceedings in accorrdance wiitth MCR 9..118,, inclludiing a carreeffuull reviiew of the recoorrdd beffore the panneel l and consiiderrattiion of the briefs and arrguments presentted by the parrties att a review hearriing conducted November 19,2014..22
G Grriieevvaannccee AAddmiinniissttrraattoorrv v Dennnnisis HH.. SSnnyyddeerr,, CCaassee NNoo.. 1122--81-GA -- BBooaardrd OOppininioionn PPage 22 iinnddeeppeennddeenntt pprrooffeesssiionall jjuuddggment, aand ddiisshonesty, ffrraaud, ddeceiitt,, aand miissrreeprreesentation iinn ccoonnnneeccttioionn witihth hiiss rreepprreesseenttaattioionn off Mrr.. Weessttoonn whhoo iiss sserviinngg a 2277--5500 yeeaarr ssentteenccçe ffoorr aasssaulltt wiitthh iinntetennt t ttoo ccoommiti t murrderr.. Beeffoorere rreessppoonnddeennt t waass rreettaaiinneedd,, Mrr.. Weessttoonn haadd ffilieledd unnssuccessful aappppeeaallss,, moottiioonnss ffoorr neew ttrriiaall,, rree--ssenttenciinngg,, rreeheeariinngg,, and ffoorr rreelliieeff ffrroomm jjuuddggmmeennt t purrssuaantt tto MCR 66..550000. . Reesspondeentt was paid $10,,000 ffor tthe rreeprreesentation pursuant tto his wrriitttteenn nnoonmreeffuunnddaabblele ffeeee agrreeemeentt and ttheerreeaftteerr depositteed tthoossee fuunndss iinnttoo hiiss IIOLTA .. Thee fforrmaall compllaiintt speciifiicalllly allleeggeed tthatt reespondentt purposely faailleed tto adviissee Mrr.. 'We essttoonn tthhaatt ttheerree waass lliittttllee tto n-Qo:r:rellieeff leftt to purrssue on hiiss behalff and tthhaat tr eespondentt deliibbeerraatteellyy f f a ~ i i l l e e d d ttoo ddoo ssoo iin orrderr tto deceiive Mr. VW/eeston and his family into believing that respondentt's's ..' $ $1100,,000000 ffeeee waass warrrrantteedd. . Dudiinngg the missconduct portion of the proceedings, the Griieevaanccee Addmiinnisistrtraatotorr's's ccounsseell vollunttaarriillyy dissmisisseedd all butt thee charrggeess thaatt responnddeennt t failleedd to adequately ccoommuunniiccaattee wiitthh Mrr.. Westton,, in viollaattiioonn of MRPC 1.4(a) and (b)).. On June 19,2014, Geneessee Coouunnttyy Heeaarriing Panell #4 ,, ffiinnddiinnggt hthaatt viollaattiioonnss oft thhee remainiinngg charges had not been establiissheed,, eenntteerreedd aan orrdeerr off diismiissall. IInnr reevviieewiinngg a hearriingp paanneell decision,, the Boardm ussttd deetteerrminineew whheeththeertrh tehpe apnaenle'sl' s fiindiings ooff ffaacctt hhaavvee ""pprrooppeerr eviidenttiiarry support on the whole recorrdd.."" Griieevanccee Admiinisttrator v Augustt,, 443388 Miicchh 29966, ,304 (199911).) . See allso,, Grievance Admiinistrator v T . Patrick Freydll,, 9966--11993--GA ((ADB 11999983).) . ""Thiiss sttandarrd is akiin to the cllearrlly erroneous sttandard [[appellllatte courrtts]] use iin rreevviieewiinngg aa ttrriíaall ccoouurrtt''ss ffiindiings of fact in ciiviil proceeeddiinnggss."." Grievance Admiìnistrattorr v Lopattiin,, 446622 M¡¿iicchh 224488 n 122 (2000)) (ciiting MCR 2..661133(C(C).). ) Underr the clleaarrllyy erlroneous sttannddaarrdd,, a rreevviieewiinngg ccoouurrtt ccaannott rreverrsee iif the triiall courrtt''s view of tthe eviidence iis pllausiiblle.. Thamess v TThhaammese, s1,l9g1l Miicchh AApppp 299,, 301--302 ((1991), Iv den 439 Mich 8597 ((1999911).} Addiitionallly, allthough tthhee Booaarrdd rreevviieewss tthe rrecorrd verry clloselly and caarreeffuullly, iit does not rre--siifft tthe evviidence and weiigh iitt aanneeww. . Grriieevvaannccee Admiiniisttrattor v Wiillson A. . Cooppeelalanndd, , IL1 10,099--4488--GA ((ADB 220011)).. MRPC l1.4.4((aa)) ssttattes tthhaatt o"oaa llawyer sshhaalll keep aa ccllient rreassoonnaabblly iinformed aabboutt tthe ssttattus
Grriievvancce Admininisistrtaratotro rv v Dennnisis HH.. Snyderr,, Caasse No. 1122--8811--GGAA -- -Booaarrdd Oppiinniioonn
Paaggee 33
Botth tthe duty tto voolluunntteeer iinnffoorrmation and tthe duty tto prroviiddee iinnffoorrmation upon rrequesstt are qualliified by a rrequiremenntt of rreeaassonnaabblelenneesss unddeerr tthe ciirrccuumssttaances. Fiirrsst,, as tthhee Commeenntt tto Modell Rule 1.4 notes at severall points, a reasonablle lleevell of commuunniiccaattioionn iinn onee contteextt maay bee wholllyy iinnaapproprriiaattee or eveen iimpossiiblle iin anotherr..... Secondd,, tthe dettaiill and frreequency of communiiccaattioionn reequiirreedd tto keeep a cliieentt "rreeaassonabllyy iinnffoorrmeedd"" willl diiffffeerr frroom clliieennt t tto clliieenntt.. . .. Thiirrdd,, reeasonaabblelenneesss may depend upon the leegall sophisticcaattiioonn of tthe cliieent coupleed witth the history of dealliings betweeen the laawyeer and the particular clientt. . l[1l Hazard, Hoddeess & Jarvis,, The Law of Laawyyeerriinngg (3rd ed 2011), $§ 7.3, p7 7--66,, Griieevvaannccee Administrattorr v Willssoonn A. Copeland,, 1IL1,' 09-48-GA (ADB 2011)).1.]
IIn tthese review proceedings, Mr.. Weston emphasiized that the two periods in whicch rresspondeentt was unrreesponssiivvee to him for approximately four months each (May 2009 - Septembeerr 2009 and agaaiin ffrrom January 20 1I 0 to Maay 20 1 0), waas "tthe actlual issue in thiss cause.." Howeeveerr,, the panel''s report acknowledged there were communicatiioonn problems betweeen respondent and Mr. ' W W e e s s t t o o n n, , and they appear to havee weighheed thesse problleemss againsstt the timeess in whiicchh respondeentt was rressponssiive tto Mrr.. W 'W e e s s t t o o n n andllor his famiily. MRPC l1..44((bb)) provides tthatt "a lawyer shaalll expllaiin a matter to the extentt reasonablly necessssarry tto permit tthe clliientt to make inforrmeed decisionss regarding the represeennttaatitoionn.."" The panell ffound tthatt ttherre was no evidentiary supportt for a findiinng that respondeentt viollaatteedd MRPC lI ..44(þb). The panel''s rreporrtt noted that respondeenntt testtiifieed that when he firsst met witth Mr. Weston,, they went over tthe lliisstt off iissues Mr.. Weston wanted respondent to address,, but respondent saw three issues he tthoughtt he coulld pursue: (1) the possiible perrjjury of one of the offficers aatt lturriaiall;; (2)) aacctfuall innocence; andd (3)) tthe calllliing of aa..'n1 experrtt in gunshhoott ressididuuee. . (HP Reporrtt 6/1199111144,, p 8.). ) Mr.. Weston''s tteessttiimony rrevealled tthat he ttoo bellieved those tto be tthe iissues to pursue, allong with a possiible alliibii deeffeennssee hhee haadd LleeoonnaarrddA Acccacardrdo03 3 in ivnevsetsitgiagatitnigngb ebfeofroerree rsepsopnodnednetnwta wsares traeitnaeinde. d. (HP Reeporrtt6 61/19114,, 'Weston on his matter, but
Grriieevvaannccee AAddmiinniissttrraattoorrv v Dennnnisis HH.. Snydeerr,, CCaassee NNoo.. 1122-8-811-G-GAA * - -BBooaarrdd Oppininioionn
PPaaggee 44
Reevviieewiningg t thhee t teessttiimmoonnyy a ass aa whhoolele,, aalloonngg witihth t thhee eexhiibbiitsts,, tthheerree iiss ssupppoorrt tf foorr tthhee ppaanneel'ls's ffininddiningg tthhaatt ""tthhee ccoÍmrmmuunnicicaatitoionn iissssuueess tthhaatt aarree eeviiddeentt iinn tthhee rreeccoorrdd ddo nnoott,, iinn ffaactt,, giivvee rriissee ttoo misisccoonndduucct t bbyy aa prreeppoonnddeerraannccee off t thhee eeviddence.." ((Trr t1001/31/11133' , pp 78..)) he re i i iss Mrr.. ' W Weston The remaining issue eston rraaiisseed on rreeviieew iiss tthhaatt rreesspoonnddeenntt haass nott prroovviiddeedd ssuuffffricciieenntt eevviiddeennccee off t thhee woorrkk hee diidd ttoo jjuusstiiffyy keeeepiinngg tthhee entirree $10,,000000 ffeeee paaiidd tto hiim ffoorr tthhee rreepprreesseennttaattiioonn.. Thiiss arrguumeennt t iinnvvoolvlveess chaarrggeess tthhaatt weerree volluunnttaariillyy diissmisi sseedd by tthee Grriieevvaannccee Addmiinniissttrraattoorr.. Whhiilele tthhee Booaarrdd haass diissccrreettioionn tto afftirrm,, ameendd,, reeveerrssee, , orr nulliffry a heariinngg panell''ss oorrddeerr,, iitt ddooeess nott have tthe diisscrettiioonn tto reinnssttaattee charges that are voluntarily diissmiisssseed by tthee Grriieevvaannccee Addmiinniissttrraattoorr.. Norw iillll thee Booaarrdd questtiont thhee autthhoorritþy oftthhee Griieevvaannccee Commiissssiioonn ttoo sseeeekk ddiissmiissssaall off a accttiioonnss whiicchh may becomee unwortthy ofp prroosseecution. Such authoriittyy iss inheerreentt iinnt hthee Coommiissssioionn ass "tthhee prosecution anrmn off t he Supreemee Courrtt forr disschargee of ittss constitutional rreessppoonnssiibbiilliittyy tto ssuperrviisse and discipline Miicchiiggaan attorrneeyyss.". " GCR 19633 ,, 957.1;; (now MCR 99..110088((AA))..)) IIn ththee Matttterr off Wiilllliiam E. . Bufallino,, IIL, A MMeemmber off the State Bar off Michigan,, Reessppoonnddeennft,, No.. 36508--A (ADB 19881i)'. Uppoonn aa ccaarreeffull rreviiew of the whole record, the Board has determinneedd that there is prroperr eevviiddeennttiiaarryy ssuuppppoorrtt fforr tthe panel''ss findiinngss,, and the hearing panel''ss order of dismisssal, entered June 1199,,22001144,, iiss ttheerreefforree affffiirrmeedd..
Booaarrdd meembbeerrss JJaameess M.. Camerron,, Jrr..,, Lawrence G. . Camppbbeel ll,, Dullce M.. Fullllerr,, Syyllviia P.. W 'W h h i i t t m m e e r r , , Ph..D..,, Louann Van Derr Wiele,, James A.. Fiink,, and John W.. Inhulsen concur iin tthiis ddeecciissiioonn..
Booaarrdd meembbeerr Miichaell Murrrray was absent and diid not parrttiicipate.. Booaarrdd meembbeerr Rossaalliind E.. Grriiffffiin,, M..D.. abssttaiined.