Disciplinary Proceedings Against Arthur
2005 WI 40, 279 Wis. 2d 583, 694 N.W.2d 910 (2005)
|
ATTORNEY disciplinary
proceeding. Attorney's license revoked
|
|
|
1 PER CURIAM. Attorney Ronald A.
Arthur seeks review of a referee's report
and recommendation, recommending revocation
of his license to practice law in Wisconsin,
and recommending further that Arthur be
required to pay the costs of this
disciplinary proceeding, which are
substantial.
|
|
|
2 Arthur challenges the referee's
findings and conclusions and urges the court
to: (1) reject the referee's report in its
entirety; (2) dismiss all allegations in the
Office of Lawyer Regulation's (OLR)
complaint; (3) accept Arthur's voluntary
resignation from the State Bar of Wisconsin;
(4) order the OLR to reimburse Arthur for
his legal fees and expenses; (5) vacate a
decision of the Juneau County Circuit Court;
(6) issue an order enjoining the grievants
from ever asserting another claim against
him; and (7) direct the OLR and Judicial
Commission to take appropriate disciplinary
action against the other parties to this
litigation.
|
|
|
3 We determine that the referee's
findings of facts are not clearly
erroneous. See In re Disciplinary
Proceedings Against Sosnay, 209 Wis. 2d
241, 243, 562 N.W.2d 137 (1997). Those
findings were supported by the clear,
satisfactory, and convincing evidence
presented at the public hearing held in this
disciplinary matter and reflected in the
record. After our de novo review of the
referee's conclusions of law, see In
re Disciplinary Proceedings Against
Carroll, 2001 WI 130, 29, 248 Wis. 2d 662,
636 N.W.2d 718, we agree with the referee
that the extensive pattern of misconduct
found by the referee reflects serious,
widespread, and repeated violations of the
Rules of Attorneys Professional
Responsibility, warranting the revocation of
Arthur's license to practice law in
Wisconsin.
4 Accordingly, we reject Arthur's
requests, adopt the referee's findings of
fact and conclusions of law, and revoke
Arthur's license to practice law in
Wisconsin. We further agree with the
referee that Arthur should be required to
pay to the OLR all the costs connected with
this disciplinary proceeding totaling
$145,548.73 as of the date of the final
statement of costs filed on October 19, 2004.
5 Arthur was admitted to practice in
Wisconsin in 1982. He has no significant
disciplinary history. His license to
practice law in Wisconsin is currently
suspended for failure to comply with
continuing education requirements.
6 In December 1995, William ("Jack")
Keefe filed a grievance against Arthur
through the (former) Board of Attorneys
Professional Responsibility (BAPR). The
allegations derived from a failed business
venture involving Keefe and his adult son,
Randy Keefe (the "Keefes"), Arthur, as the
Keefes' attorney and business advisor, and
Arthur's wife, Mary Kathleen Arthur, also an
attorney. The matter also implicated
allegations of damage done to property in
Juneau County owned by Barbara Doyle. These
events will be discussed in a chronological
sequence.
7 A lengthy disciplinary investigation
ensued. On July 13, 2001, the BAPR's
successor, the OLR, filed a complaint
against Arthur alleging six counts of
misconduct, and recommending revocation of
Arthur's license to practice law.
8 On October 14, 2003, following
extensive pre-hearing proceedings, admission
of thousands of pages of documentary
evidence, 22 days of hearings, and post-
hearing proceedings, the referee filed a
report and recommendation, recommending
revocation of Arthur's license to practice
law. Arthur sought review.
9 A discussion of the incidents giving
rise to this disciplinary proceeding is
unavoidable. These incidents have been the
subject of several lawsuits by various
individuals and entities, in various
courts. In some cases, different courts
have made differing factual findings,
depending on the cause of action presented
or procedural posture of the matter.
However, we are mindful that our task today
is not to review the decisions of other
courts that are not before us on appeal, or
to permit "re-litigation" of old
grievances. To that end, certain details we
deem not relevant to the issues before us
will be omitted. Our task is to review
Arthur's challenge to the referee's report
and recommendation. The court will adopt
the referee's findings of fact unless they
are "clearly erroneous." In re
Disciplinary Proceedings Against
Swartwout, 116 Wis. 2d 380, 382, 342
N.W.2d 406 (1984). We will review the
referee's conclusions of law de novo. In
re Disciplinary Proceedings Against
Hetzel, 118 Wis. 2d 257, 259, 346 N.W.2d
782 (1984).
10 In August 1992, Randy Keefe retained
Arthur to represent him in a pending action,
unrelated to the present disciplinary
action, in which Keefe had previously
appeared pro se. Arthur worked on the
matter until approximately February 1994,
when the action was dismissed. He also
represented the Keefes in "certain other
small legal matters" from approximately
August 1992 to August 1994. Arthur was not
the only lawyer the Keefes worked with.
Other counsel represented the Keefes in
various other matters, including bankruptcy
and divorce proceedings. The Keefes and
Arthur dispute whether Arthur continued to
represent the Keefes from the fall of 1994
through spring of 1995.
11 In any event, early in 1994, Randy
Keefe and Arthur discussed a possible
business arrangement whereby Arthur would
purchase parcels of wooded land, and a
corporation owned by the Keefes would
harvest the marketable timber and pay Arthur
a higher price for the timber than other
loggers would. The anticipated benefit to
the Keefes was that their corporation would
not have to pay Arthur for the timber up
front; Arthur would be paid from the
proceeds received from the sale of the
harvested timber.
12 From approximately June to November
1994, Arthur purchased four parcels of
wooded land in southwestern Wisconsin. The
parties entered into four separate Timber
Purchase and Sale Agreements to harvest
timber on those sites. Each of these
agreements was by and among Ronald Arthur
and Halco Financial and Realty Corporation
d/b/a Forest Hills Reserve, Ltd., and
Statewide Log and Lumber Co., Inc.
("Statewide"). Randy Keefe, on behalf of
Statewide, and Arthur signed each of the
four contracts. Each contract identified
Statewide as the purchaser of the timber.
The parties dispute whether Arthur provided
legal services to Statewide. Arthur notes
that he did not prepare the articles of
incorporation for this entity. He
acknowledges that he "attempted to find a
source for certain financing that the Keefes
were seeking [for Statewide]," but maintains
that he and the Keefes viewed financial
advice as separate and distinct from the
rendering of legal advice. In subsequent
litigation, evidence was produced that
reflected Arthur did submit a bill for legal
services he purported to have rendered for
Statewide.
13 Logging operations on the four
parcels commenced in the summer of 1994.
Progress on one of the parcels, referred to
as the "Viroqua" parcel, was apparently
slow. By the late fall of 1994, it is
apparent from all versions of events, that
the relationship between the Keefes and
Arthur was deteriorating.
14 Arthur avers that the Keefes did not
pay him for the timber they harvested, and
that he lost some $50,000 as a result. The
Keefes testified that Arthur tried
to "coerce" them into accepting a $150,000
loan, and testified that they believed the
money was part of an illegal Russian money
laundering operation. They later testified
that they felt threatened by Arthur.
15 The record reflects conflicting
testimony about the state of the business
venture in January 1995. About this time
Arthur sent a letter to Tri-City National
Bank seeking financing for a "Joint Venture
Business Plan" between HALCO and Statewide.
However, this plan was not financed. As
such, this proposed "joint venture" did not
materialize.
16 Around the same time, the Keefes
testified that they had a meeting with
Arthur in which they expressed their desire
to restructure the agreements to relieve
Statewide of its obligations under the
timber contracts. It is suggested that
their financier wanted out of the deal.
17 On or about January 23, 1995, Arthur
sent a letter to the Keefes in connection
with an offer to purchase, advising them for
the first time that they should seek
independent legal counsel or sign a waiver
pursuant to SCR 20:1.8. The Keefes did not
execute either document.
18 Meanwhile, Arthur independently
entered a business relationship with Thomas
Zupfer, a logger hired by Arthur or HALCO,
to pursue logging on the parcels. Arthur
alleges that Randy Keefe "caused Statewide"
to stop harvesting timber at the Viroqua
site and moved the logging operations to
another parcel owned by Arthur in Juneau
County. The Juneau County parcel owned by
Arthur was adjacent to a four-acre parcel
owned by Barbara Doyle.
19 At some point in early 1995, Ms.
Doyle discovered that a logging road had
been cut across the corner of her property,
without her permission. Ms. Doyle felt the
aesthetic damage to her property was
significant. This incident was the origin
of a separate dispute between Ms. Doyle and
Arthur, which eventually culminated in
litigation implicated in this disciplinary
action.
20 Meanwhile, in the spring of 1995,
the Keefes removed "hundreds of logs" from
Arthur's parcel of property located in
Lyndon Station and transferred them for
storage on the Keefes' property in Endeavor,
Wisconsin ("Endeavor property"). The
parties vigorously dispute the Keefes'
authority to remove the logs.
21 On April 18, 1995, the Keefes
delivered a letter to Arthur, terminating
the business and attorney-client
relationship with Arthur. The referee found
that on the same day, Arthur acknowledged
the termination, and directed the Keefes to
stop logging and to make an accounting of
the logs stored on the Endeavor property.
The referee also found that Arthur submitted
a settlement proposal to the Keefes and
directed them to find and consult a lawyer,
all while transferring his interest in the
logs at the Endeavor property to Thomas
Zupfer's company, Zupfer Timber Corporation
International ("Zupfer Timber").
22 On April 24, 1995, Attorney Mary
Kathleen Arthur, on behalf of Arthur, HALCO,
and Zupfer Timber, filed a summons,
complaint and ex parte motion for temporary
injunction against the Keefes seeking to
remove the logs on the Endeavor property.
The motion was denied; Attorney Mary
Kathleen Arthur dismissed the action.
23 On April 25, 1995, Arthur, together
with a deputy from the Marquette County
Sheriff's Department, went to the Endeavor
property to "recover" logs taken from the
Lyndon Station and Viroqua properties. No
court order was in effect at this time.
Randy Keefe was arrested during this
incident, purportedly for, inter alia,
preventing the removal of the logs.
24 Later that same day, Arthur
commenced a second action and obtained a
temporary injunction giving him control of
the logs, including those he had seized from
the Keefes. Randy Keefe was served with a
copy of this order after the logs had been
removed. A series of lawsuits arose as a
result of these incidents. Our discussion
of the litigation that arose as a result of
these incidents is, in keeping with our
objective of avoiding "re-litigation" of
settled matters, somewhat abbreviated.
25 Returning to the incident involving
Ms. Doyle's property, some correspondence
between Arthur and Ms. Doyle's attorney, Eli
Schmukler, ensued, including a statement by
Arthur, warning Attorney Schmukler that Ms.
Doyle "might find the litigation process
unpleasant."
26 On August 31, 1995, Arthur commenced
a lawsuit in Dodge County, alleging numerous
contract and tort claims against the Keefes
and Statewide still related to their
business dispute, but also seeking a
declaratory judgment that neither Arthur nor
HALCO were liable for the trespass to Ms.
Doyle's property ("Dodge County lawsuit").
Eleven days later, Ms. Doyle sued Arthur in
trespass, filing the action in Juneau County
where she lived on the property in question.
27 In response to Arthur's Dodge County
lawsuit, the Keefes asked the court to
transfer the matter to Marquette County,
where another case filed against them by
Arthur was pending.
28 Meanwhile, correspondence between
Attorney Schmukler and Arthur was
increasingly acrimonious. Arthur informed
Attorney Schmukler that his wife, Mary
Kathleen Arthur, was a former district
attorney for Dodge County. Attorney
Schmukler later asserted that he believed
this statement was intended to intimidate
him in the context of the pending litigation
in Dodge County. He also avers that Arthur
stated he would sue Attorney Schmukler,
personally, for abuse of process and
conspiracy if the action Ms. Doyle had
commenced in Juneau County was not dismissed.
29 On or about December 11, 1995,
Arthur filed a severed complaint in the
Dodge County action, alleging that Ms. Doyle
and the Keefes had acted in concert to
defame and otherwise injure him. Ms. Doyle
moved to strike that complaint.
30 In February 1996, the Dodge County
Circuit Court transferred venue of Arthur's
claims against the Keefes to Marquette
County, and dismissed Arthur's declaratory
judgment claim against Ms. Doyle. The court
also transferred Arthur's conspiracy claims
and Doyle's motion to dismiss those claims,
to Juneau County.
31 Throughout late 1995 and well into
1996, Arthur filed numerous sets of
interrogatories, requests for admission, and
requests for production of documents in
these matters. Apparently, several of those
requests went unanswered by the Keefes, who
were still proceeding pro se. Arthur then
filed a motion contending the Keefes had
engaged in discovery violations and seeking
sanctions.
32 Eventually, the Dodge and Marquette
County cases were consolidated, and the
Keefes filed additional counterclaims.
Additional motions followed. On May 1,
1998, the circuit court ruled that the
Keefes were in default for failing to appear
at a pretrial conference and dismissed all
of their claims.
33 The matter went to trial on Arthur's
claims. The trial court ultimately dismissed
Arthur's claims against the Keefes on the
grounds that Arthur had misused his attorney-
client relationship with the Keefes by
engaging in a business relationship without
advising them of a conflict of interest,
instead seeking to protect his own self-
interest.
34 Meanwhile, Arthur effectively failed
to file a necessary pleading in the case
pending in Juneau County Circuit Court; Ms.
Doyle was granted a default judgment. The
court later denied Arthur's motion to set
aside the default judgment, and ordered a
hearing on the amount of damages to which
Ms. Doyle was entitled.
35 In a memorandum decision dated July
31, 1997, the Juneau County Circuit Court
found that Arthur "intentionally and
maliciously used his and his wife's position
and knowledge as attorneys in an all out
effort to intimidate [Ms.] Doyle . . . ."
In addition, the circuit court found that
Arthur had threatened to sue Ms. Doyle and
her attorneys for conspiracy and extortion
without any factual basis for such a
complaint. Ms. Doyle was eventually awarded
$34,720 in compensatory damages and $75,000
in punitive damages. To date, this judgment
remains unsatisfied.
36 The Juneau County court also
dismissed Arthur's "severed complaint" as
untimely, and deemed Arthur's amended
complaint "incomprehensible." The court
expressly added that Arthur could refile the
complaint.
37 Arthur opted to appeal. The court
of appeals affirmed the circuit court
decision, concluding "Arthur's claim that
the trial court 'disregarded' this action
while it proceeded with Doyle's case is
without support in the record." Arthur v.
Keefe, No. 98-1897, unpublished slip op.
at 1 (Wis. Ct. App. Nov. 4, 1999).
38 Having been assessed punitive
damages in the Juneau County case, Arthur
proceeded to file an action seeking
indemnification from his legal malpractice
carrier. He also filed a cross-claim
against Ms. Doyle in this action, naming Ms.
Doyle's attorneys as third-party defendants,
and, despite the circuit court's previous
findings, alleging that Ms. Doyle and her
attorneys had engaged in conspiracy and
extortion against him. This action was
later dismissed.
39 A number of other legal proceedings
arose as a result of these incidents as
well. With competing actions in Dodge,
Marquette, Juneau, Milwaukee and Adams
Counties, not to mention federal and
bankruptcy court proceedings, the "civil
procedure aspects of the litigation" were,
to quote the Marquette County Circuit
Court, "a mess."
40 The disciplinary complaint
ultimately filed against Arthur alleged six
counts of professional misconduct. These
will be addressed seriatim.
|
|
|
41 The disciplinary complaint alleged
that Arthur violated SCR 20:1.8(a), which
provides:
(a) A lawyer shall not enter into a
business transaction with a client or
knowingly acquire an ownership, possessory,
security or other pecuniary interest adverse
to a client unless:
(1) the transaction and terms on which
the lawyer acquires the interest are fair
and reasonable to the client and are fully
disclosed and transmitted in writing to the
client in a manner which can be reasonably
understood by the client;
(2) the client is given a reasonable
opportunity to seek the advice of
independent counsel in the transaction;
and
(3) the client consents in writing
thereto.
42 The question for this court is
whether the OLR demonstrated by clear and
convincing evidence that Arthur violated SCR
20:1.8(a). The referee concluded that it
had, finding, inter alia, that Arthur and
the Keefes were involved in a "series of
complex business transactions . . . while
[Arthur] was representing them as their
attorney between 1992 and 1995."
Referencing the four separate Timber
Purchase and Sale Agreements, the referee
found that Arthur "failed to obtain any
written waivers from the Keefes and/or
Statewide consenting to his legal
representation notwithstanding the conflicts
of interest in his personal business
dealings with the Keefes . . . ."
|
|
|
43 Arthur challenges the referee's
findings and conclusion. He contends he
never entered into a "business transaction"
with the Keefes as that term is used in SCR
20:1.8(a). Arthur acknowledges that he
entered a "logging contract" with Statewide,
but essentially asserts that a transaction
with the entity, Statewide, is not the same
as a business transaction with the Keefes.
He points out that the proposed joint
venture with the Keefes was never
formalized, noting that the financing
proposal submitted to Tri-City was never
approved. He contends that Attorney
Schmukler committed misconduct by suggesting
otherwise in the Juneau County proceedings.
44 We consider the comment to SCR
20:1.8, which indicates that this rule "does
not, however, apply to standard commercial
transactions between the lawyer and the
client for products or services that the
client generally markets to others, for
example, banking or brokerage services,
medical services, products manufactured or
distributed by the client, and utilities
services." The comment states further: "In
such transactions, the lawyer has no
advantage in dealing with the client, and
the restrictions in paragraph (a) are
unnecessary and impracticable."
45 However, the referee explicitly
found that "[t]hese were not standard
commercial transactions." Although Arthur
disparages the referee's understanding in
his effort to persuade us that these were in
fact run-of-the-mill transactions in which
he was actually at the mercy of the Keefes'
superior knowledge of logging operations, we
are not persuaded that the referee's finding
on this point is clearly erroneous.
46 Arthur has not identified sufficient
record evidence that the logging operations
conducted by Statewide were demonstrably of
the sort that Statewide generally marketed
to others. More significantly, while we
appreciate the distinction Arthur draws
between the Keefes, as individuals, and
Statewide, as a discrete entity owned by
Ivan Schairer, in this matter we deem this a
distinction without a difference. Here,
Arthur started as a business associate and
legal advisor to the Keefes, then proceeded
to sue them in different venues when their
business dealings went awry, without
obtaining a waiver. SCR 20:1.8 clearly
provides that a lawyer shall not "knowingly
acquire an ownership, possessory, security
or other pecuniary interest adverse to a
client" without satisfying the rule's
written waiver requirements.
47 The first written documentation in
which Arthur advises the Keefes of a
conflict between the parties' interests was
in a letter dated January 23, 1995. It is
undisputed that the Keefes did not consent
to or waive the conflict.
|
|
|
48 The waiver requirements of SCR
20:1.8 cannot be satisfied solely by a
client signing the underlying loan
documents, the terms of which are already
required to be in writing under sub. (a)
1. "[T]he client must give separate consent
to the transaction with the lawyer, waiving
the conflict of interest, and the client
must indicate in writing he or she has been
given a reasonable opportunity to consult
with independent counsel." In re
Disciplinary Proceedings Against Trewin,
2004 WI 116, 38, 275 Wis. 2d 116, 684 N.W.2d
121.
49 We conclude that there are
sufficient facts of record to support the
referee's findings of fact made in
connection with this allegation, and we
conclude that Arthur violated SCR 20:1.8(a)
by engaging in business transactions in
which the Keefes had a significant personal
and financial interest, without having first
obtained written waiver as required by SCR
20:1.8.
COUNT II: SCR 20:3.1(a)(3)
|
|
|
50 We turn to the second count in the
disciplinary complaint filed against
Arthur. The disciplinary complaint alleged
and the referee found that Arthur violated
SCR 20:3.1(a)(3) which provides that, in
representing a client, a lawyer shall
not "file a suit, assert a position, conduct
a defense, delay a trial or take other
action on behalf of the client when the
lawyer knows or when it is obvious that such
an action would serve merely to harass or
maliciously injure another."
51 Arthur levies several challenges to
the referee's findings and conclusion. We
will address the most significant of these
arguments. The referee's extensive findings
in relation to this court are summarized as
follows:
Arthur told Attorney Schmukler that Ms.
Doyle might find the litigation
process "unpleasant."
Arthur and his wife, Attorney Mary
Kathleen
Arthur, sent a series of letters attempting
to intimidate Attorney Schmukler, such as
indicating that Mary Kathleen was a former
district attorney in Dodge County, alleging
conspiracy and abuse of process, and
threatening to sue Attorney Schmukler
personally if the Doyle action was not
dismissed.
In response to Ms. Doyle's complaint,
filing
an amended complaint alleging Ms. Doyle
acted in concert with the Keefes to defame
or otherwise injure him.
Approving Attorney Mary Kathleen Arthur's
filing of a petition for supervisory writ in
the court of appeals, including the
execution of affidavits accusing the judge
of ulterior motives and bias without
specific facts to support the claims.
Following the default judgment against
him,
filing an indemnification claim with his
insurance carrier, impleading Ms. Doyle and
her attorney, alleging they had maliciously
conspired with the Keefes to harm him,
notwithstanding previous rulings that they
had not so conspired. See Heritage
Mutual
Ins. Co. v. Arthur et al., 97 CV 9686.
Filing a complaint with the Department
of
Agriculture against the Keefes one day
before Randy Keefe was scheduled to testify
in the disciplinary matter.
Other examples of harassing litigation
tactics employed by Arthur in other cases,
such as suing judges and opposing counsel in
various actions in order to harass or induce
them to withdraw from cases, in one instance
commenting that he had an attorney "by the
nuts" and was going to "jerk them for the
next five years" by filing an action unless
they agreed to his terms.
52 Arthur suggests that any findings
made in connection with the Juneau County
lawsuit should be considered void based on
his contention Attorney Schmukler committed
misconduct by submitting certain documents
to the court. With respect to the specific
comment made to Attorney Schmukler that Ms.
Doyle might find the litigation
process "unpleasant," Arthur defends this
statement and expresses incredulity that he
would be disciplined for what he deems to be
his effort to take the "moral high-ground."
He suggests "the Referee's Report seems to
assert that it constitutes professional
misconduct for a lawyer to indicate in
writing that he or she even intends to abide
by SCR 20:8.3." Similarly, he disputes that
he intended to "intimidate" opposing
counsel.
|
|
|
53 The referee obviously found
otherwise. Discerning the "intent" behind an
attorney's statement to opposing counsel
frequently requires a credibility
determination by the referee. Here, Arthur
did not persuade the referee that the Juneau
County default judgment should be wholly
ignored because of Attorney Schmukler's
conduct, or that his own comments to
Attorney Schmukler were made in good faith.
Nor, apparently, did he persuade the referee
that the Keefes were wholly lacking in
credibility, or that he, himself, was
entitled to much credibility. It is well
settled that where there is conflicting
testimony, the referee, as finder of fact,
is the ultimate arbiter of the credibility
of the witnesses. See, e.g.,
Swartwout, 116 Wis. 2d 380; Cogswell
v. Robertshaw Controls Co., 87 Wis. 2d
243, 274 N.W.2d 647 (1979). We will not
disturb the referee's credibility
determinations here.
|
|
|
54 Arthur generally defends his
litigation style and strategy. He blames
the Keefes, who certainly contributed to the
extent of the litigation. Arthur also
challenges the referee's findings regarding
his conduct in litigation not mentioned in
the disciplinary complaint. He asserts that
he had inadequate notice of these
allegations, and suggests this implicates
his due process rights. While the complaint
contains specific allegations regarding the
transactions and litigation among the Keefes
and Ms. Doyle, it is true that the complaint
does not reference allegations of Arthur's
conduct in other court proceedings.
55 The referee made findings that
Arthur has engaged in a pattern of harassing
conduct for more than a decade, finding,
specifically, that Arthur has sued opposing
counsel and judges in various matters, and
has threatened to file disciplinary
grievances against lawyers and judges in
other matters; noted other trial courts have
found such tactics to be "frivolous,
commenced, used, and continued in bad faith
and solely for the purpose of harassing or
maliciously injuring another." The referee
also made reference to statements by several
judges that Arthur was not credible.
|
|
|
56 We conclude that there is no need
for this court to decide whether there was
sufficient notice of the findings regarding
Arthur's misuse of the litigation process
beyond the Doyle and Keefe matters, because
these findings are not necessary to sustain
a conclusion that Arthur violated SCR 20:3.1
(a).
|
|
|
57 We turn to the third count alleged
in the disciplinary complaint. The
disciplinary complaint alleged that Arthur
violated SCR 20:3.2, which provides: "A
lawyer shall make reasonable efforts to
expedite litigation consistent with the
interests of the client." The referee found
that Arthur "undertook numerous efforts to
unreasonably delay and impede the course of
litigation and needlessly increase the cost
related thereto." The referee identified
five specific examples of Arthur's
duplicative litigation, failure to comply
with discovery requests, or other conduct
that frustrated the discovery process.
58 Arthur challenges the referee's
findings and conclusion. He asserts, again,
that the Keefes engaged in similar
litigation tactics and seeks to justify his
extensive discovery filings in this
disciplinary matter, explaining that he was
attempting to "pin down [the] OLR's
allegations and/or limit the scope of the
proceedings." However, it is not these
discovery tactics for which he is being
disciplined.
59 We are mindful that the situation
before the court is somewhat unusual in that
Arthur or his wife, Attorney Mary Kathleen
Arthur, were acting as counsel on behalf of
the Arthurs' own business interests——albeit
interests adverse to Ronald Arthur's former
clients.
60 As there is little case law directly
on point we are guided in part by the
comment to this rule, which recognizes that
dilatory practices bring the administration
of justice into disrepute.
Delay should not be indulged merely for
the
convenience of the advocates, or for the
purpose of frustrating an opposing party's
attempt to obtain rightful redress or
repose. It is not a justification that
similar conduct is often tolerated by the
bench and bar. The question is whether a
competent lawyer acting in good faith would
regard the course of action as having some
substantial purpose other than delay.
Realizing financial or other benefit from
otherwise improper delay in litigation is
not a legitimate interest of the client.
SCR 20:3.2 cmt.
61 Notwithstanding Arthur's
protestations, the record reflects numerous
examples of duplicative or excessive
litigation, such as the fact that the Juneau
County Circuit Court deemed Arthur's amended
complaint "incomprehensible" and as the
Marquette County Circuit Court noted, "one
of the lengthiest and most difficult
[complaints] to follow . . . that [this
Court] had ever reviewed." This observation
is not dependent on the underlying facts of
record, however disputed. We are not
persuaded that the referee's findings of
fact are clearly erroneous and we have
little difficulty concluding that the record
contains clear and convincing evidence that
Arthur violated SCR 20:3.2.
COUNT IV: SCR 20:3.3(a)(1)
|
|
|
62 The referee also concluded that
Arthur violated SCR 20:3.3(a)(1), which
provides that a lawyer shall not
knowingly "make a false statement of fact or
law to a tribunal." Here, the referee found
that Arthur made "numerous" false statements
to a tribunal, including the following,
which are distilled from the referee's
findings of fact:
The Juneau County Circuit Court, the
Honorable John Brady presiding, found that
Arthur "falsely testified that, in the
latter part of 1994, his relationship with
the Keefes became adversarial." The referee
noted that this statement was contradicted
by a letter dated January 4, 1995 from
Arthur to Tri-City National Bank in which he
sought financing for himself and Statewide
and asserted that he had a "good
relationship" with the Keefes.
The Juneau County court found that Arthur
falsely testified that he could not remember
the specific nature of HALCO's activities,
notwithstanding the fact that Arthur's wife
owned HALCO, for the benefit of their minor
child, and that he served as its president
and acted as its attorney for many years.
The Juneau County court found that
Arthur falsely testified on May 16, 1997,
that he was insolvent and owed $100,000 when
on December 31, 1996, he submitted a
statement of net worth to Tri-City National
Bank that indicated he and his wife's net
worth exceeded $500,000. When questioned
how he had lost $600,000 in five months, he
attributed it to the litigation with the
Keefes and Ms. Doyle, despite the fact he
and his wife were representing themselves.
The Juneau County court found that
Arthur falsely testified about the property
lines on Ms. Doyle's property.
63 Arthur vigorously challenges these
findings. He emphasizes that the Juneau
County Circuit Court order was on a default
judgment, suggesting that the court simply
took the facts alleged in the complaint, and
adopted them without further scrutiny. He
claims, further, that the judges quoted by
the referee lacked "personal knowledge" of
the circumstances. He is aggrieved that the
referee adopted almost none of his proposed
findings of fact, but accepted the OLR's
proposed findings almost verbatim.
64 We are not persuaded that the
reliance on statements by the circuit court
should be disregarded. A number of these
findings were based, for example, on the
court's consideration of Arthur's own
testimony, which it characterized
as "evasive, inaccurate and unworthy of
belief."
65 Arthur also specifically challenges
the referee's findings regarding his
representation of the relationship with the
Keefes, noting that the Keefes had also
testified that the relationship was
adversarial by fall of 1994. He challenges
the finding regarding HALCO, noting that he
did describe some of the company's
activities.
|
|
|
66 We are not persuaded that the
referee's findings of fact made in
connection with this count can be deemed
clearly erroneous. The record in this
disciplinary proceeding includes more than
six boxes of documents, and, as already
noted, there have been multiple actions
filed in connection with the underlying
disputes. Inconsistencies in testimony are
inevitable, from all parties, including
Arthur. Moreover, as the situation
involving Arthur's financial circumstances
exemplifies, "[t]here are circumstances
where failure to make a disclosure is the
equivalent of an affirmative
misrepresentation." SCR 20:3.3(a)(1) cmt.
(Representation by a Lawyer). Even if we
disregard the two findings Arthur
specifically challenges in 65 of this
decision, there is still sufficient record
evidence to sustain the referee's conclusion
that Arthur made false statements before a
tribunal in violation of SCR 20:3.3(a)(1).
|
|
|
67 The disciplinary complaint alleged
that Arthur violated SCR 20:3.4(b), which
provides that a lawyer shall not "falsify
evidence, counsel or assist a witness to
testify falsely, or offer an inducement to a
witness that is prohibited by law."
68 This allegation stems from Thomas
Zupfer's claim that Arthur instructed him to
lie about an illness in order to avoid
appearing at a properly noticed deposition.
As previously noted, Zupfer was the log
buyer and timber broker that Arthur engaged
in 1995, around the time he was parting
company with Statewide and the Keefes.
69 During these disciplinary
proceedings, Zupfer testified that Arthur
was his lawyer and that Arthur had told him
to call in sick on December 4, 1995, to
avoid having to attend a deposition. Arthur
vigorously disputes this charge. He
challenges the existence of an attorney-
client relationship between the two, noting
that Zupfer earlier denied having an
attorney-client relationship with Arthur.
He asserts, further, that Zupfer "was not a
credible witness."
70 This finding turned almost
exclusively on the referee's credibility
assessment. The referee noted that Mary
Kathleen Arthur appeared as counsel of
record for Zupfer and/or his corporation
from April 1995 through December 1995.
Ultimately, the referee decided that Arthur
had advised Zupfer to claim he was ill and
later to testify "I don't remember" in
response to deposition questions about his
relationship and dealings with Arthur.
71 We see no reason to disturb the
referee's credibility determination with
respect to this incident, and these findings
certainly support the conclusion that Arthur
violated SCR 20:3.4(b).
|
|
|
72 Finally, the disciplinary complaint
alleged that Arthur violated SCR 20:8.4(c),
which provides that it is professional
misconduct for a lawyer to "engage in
conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit
or misrepresentation." The referee made a
number of findings in support of his
conclusion that Arthur violated this rule.
Some of these findings are summarized as
follows:
Making false statements to Ms. Doyle
about his intentions with respect to his use
of the Lyndon Station property, as found by
the Juneau County Circuit Court.
Making false statements to the Keefes
about the exact location of the Doyle
property line, as found by the Juneau County
Circuit Court.
Falsely accusing Ms. Doyle, her
attorneys, and the Keefes of engaging in a
conspiracy to defraud him, as found by the
Juneau County Circuit Court.
The Honorable Richard Wright's
observation that "the court has never found
such a liar on the stand and would probably
refer him to the DA for perjury."
"[P]resent[ing] a false defense and
[making] misrepresentations to the court" as
found by the Juneau County Circuit Court.
Falsely denying that he advised Zupfer
to
fake an illness and avoid testifying at his
deposition, as found by the Juneau County
Circuit Court.
Falsely testifying about his net worth,
as found by the Juneau County Circuit Court.
Misrepresenting to the court, the Honorable
Frank Crivello, that an evidentiary hearing
was conducted before Judge Wright on a
discovery motion, which Juneau County
Circuit Court later stated "that just plain
isn't true."
Presenting a false claim against the
Keefes to the Bankruptcy Court, the
Honorable Margaret Dee McGarity presiding,
which warranted a referral to the U.S.
Attorney.
Submitting a claim to the Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
against the Keefes that falsely alleged a
court ordered judgment entered against them
in Arthur's favor.
Transferring his personal assets to his
wife in a marital property agreement to
fraudulently avoid payment of claims, debts
and judgments against him; facilitated the
transfer of assets to various non-profit
corporations in which he was actively
involved and had received things of value to
fraudulently avoid payment of claims.
73 Arthur contends that the "actual
verbatim transcripts" do not support these
findings. He blames the OLR, suggesting
it "deliberately engaged in conspicuously
fraudulent misconduct."
74 Specifically, Arthur challenges the
referee's finding that he made a
misstatement of fact before Judge Crivello,
regarding whether an evidentiary hearing had
taken place on a discovery issue. Arthur
concedes that "he vacillated by saying both
that it was and was not an evidentiary
hearing." He nonetheless maintains that "no
reasonable trier of fact could possibly
conclude that Mr. Arthur violated SCR 20:8.4
(c) by deceiving the court." He reiterates
his position "that the decision of the
Juneau County Court in Case No. 95 CV 182
must be considered void because of Attorney
Schmukler's misconduct." However, this is
not an appeal from the Juneau County court
decision.
75 With respect to the finding that he
fraudulently conveyed his assets to his wife
in order to avoid payment of debts and other
claims against him, Arthur defends his
actions, asserting there is nothing
inherently improper about a fraudulent
conveyance.
76 Arthur is adept at using various
conflicting testimony from the many court
proceedings to raise questions about the
referee's findings of fact in this
disciplinary matter. Having engaged in an
independent review of the record, including
individual pleadings filed by Arthur that
alleged various unsupported claims against
Ms. Doyle, her counsel, and others, we have
no difficulty concluding that there are
sufficient facts of record to support the
conclusion that Arthur repeatedly violated
SCR 20:8.4(c).
|
|
|
77 We appreciate that we may not have
addressed each and every one of the
arguments presented by Arthur. To the
extent we have not, it is deemed denied.
See Libertarian Party of Wisconsin v.
State, 199 Wis. 2d 790, 801, 546 N.W.2d
424 (1996) (appellate court need not discuss
arguments unless they have "sufficient merit
to warrant individual attention").
|
|
|
78 We turn to the question of the
appropriate sanction for Arthur's
misconduct. In considering the appropriate
sanction, we first consider the seriousness
of the conduct. See In re
Disciplinary Proceedings Against Charlton,
174 Wis. 2d 844, 875, 498 N.W.2d 380
(1993). We also consider the need to
protect the public, courts, and legal system
from the attorney's repetition of
misconduct, to impress upon the attorney the
seriousness of the misconduct, and to deter
other attorneys from engaging in similar
misconduct. Id. at 847.
79 The OLR seeks revocation of Arthur's
license to practice law in Wisconsin. The
referee observed that these proceedings
were "very lengthy and complete" observing
further: "it is not possible to avoid the
conclusion that there are a number of
patterns of substantial improper conduct."
80 We agree. After careful
consideration of the arguments of counsel,
review of the extensive record, and the
relevant case law, we conclude that
revocation of Arthur's license to practice
law is the appropriate sanction for Arthur's
serious pattern of misconduct and abuse of
the litigation process. See, e.g.,
In re Disciplinary Proceedings Against
Hinners, 162 Wis. 2d 728, 470 N.W.2d 309
(1991).
|
|
|
81 We turn to the question of the costs
incurred in this matter. Although we
directed the parties to brief the issue,
they had relatively little to say about the
costs. Suffice it to say that Arthur
maintains that he should not be financially
responsible for any amount of costs, but, as
the OLR observes, he has failed to object to
the statement of costs with specificity. It
is readily apparent to this court that
Arthur's own litigation tactics are the
primary cause of the unusually high costs of
this proceeding. As the OLR states:
[This] is the same lawyer who claims on
page
18 of his brief that this is a "petty"
matter and then files over 500 pages of
discovery documents to OLR, including
fourteen motions, seven separate discovery
demands, and a 1,000+ page pre-hearing
compendium. In the process, Arthur
complains in his brief on page 43 that OLR
did not respond in a manner he wished
concerning his pre-trial motions. Arthur
has requested OLR respond to all of his
demands, which it did, and now he doesn't
want to pay for the time and costs
involved.
82 We accept the referee's
recommendation and order Arthur to pay the
costs of the disciplinary proceeding.
83 IT IS ORDERED that the license of
Attorney Ronald A. Arthur to practice law in
Wisconsin is revoked effective the date of
this order.
84 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Attorney
Ronald A. Arthur comply with the provisions
of SCR 22.26 concerning duties of a person
whose license to practice law has been
revoked.
85 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that within 60
days of the date of this order Attorney
Ronald A. Arthur pay to the OLR the costs of
the proceeding.
86 PATIENCE D. ROGGENSACK, J., did not
participate.
|
|
|