Opinion

Disciplinary Counsel v. Redfield

  • 116 Ohio St. 3d 262
Court
Ohio Supreme Court
Filed
Nov 15, 2007
Status
Published
Author
Moyer
On the bench
Connor, Cupp, Donnell, Lanzinger, Moyer, Pfeifer, Stratton
Cited by
4 cases

The opinion

Moyer, C.J.,

dissenting.

{¶ 33} I respectfully dissent from the majority opinion with respect to the sanction imposed on respondent. The board recommended that respondent be suspended for two years, with credit given for the time respondent has been suspended since the February 2005 suspension. While the majority concluded that the board’s recommendation was appropriate, I disagree and would impose a stricter sanction on respondent.

{¶ 34} The board found that respondent committed multiple ethical infractions. Respondent (1) neglected a client’s case, (2) defaulted on support orders for two of his children, (3) failed to cooperate in disciplinary investigations, and (4) failed to perfect his attorney-registration record. Further, his misconduct persisted *268 over the course of several years: in 2002, respondent abandoned his client’s case; in 2005, respondent failed to respond during the bar association’s and Disciplinary Counsel’s investigations into his misconduct; and, as of February 2007, respondent owed more than $30,000 in child-support arrearages for two of his children. In addition, respondent has a prior disciplinary record.

Jonathan E. Coughlan, Disciplinary Counsel, and Carol A. Costa, Assistant Disciplinary Counsel, for relator Disciplinary Counsel.

M. Terence Cawley; and Lustig, Evans & Lucas Co., L.P.A., and Robert Lustig, for relator Cleveland Bar Association.

Bernard Redfield, pro se.

{¶ 35} Respondent has repeatedly violated his duties to the legal profession, the public, and the courts. As a result, I would suspend respondent from the practice of law for two years, with no credit given for the time respondent has been suspended. Instead, I would impose a two-year suspension to run from the date this opinion is released.

O’Connor and O’Donnell, JJ., concur in the foregoing opinion.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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