Attorney Grievance Commission v. Sperling

BATTAGLIA, J. Jonathan Sperling, Respondent, was admitted to the Bar of this Court on June 24, 1998. On February 16, 2012, the Attorney Grievance Commission (“Bar Counsel”), Petitioner, acting pursuant to Rule 16-751(a), 1 filed a “Petition for Disciplinary or Remedial Action” against Jonathan, 2 relative to his representation of Victoria Brunson-Hill as the plaintiff in an automobile accident case. In July of 1998, Jonathan had been a practicing attorney for approximately one month when Ms. Brunson-Hill retained the law firm of Sperling and Framm, in which Leonard Sperling, Jonathan’s father, was a partner, to represent her after she had been struck by an automobile in a public parking lot in Prince George’s County. On November 30,1998, Sperling and Framm filed suit on Ms. Brunson-Hill’s behalf in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, naming Greta Renee Frank as the defendant.

Jonathan Sperling, although having never entered his appearance, was responsible for the day-to-day tasks in the case, such as attending pre-trial conferences, drafting discovery, and engaging and interacting with a process server. Ms. Frank was never served, and on October 22, 1999, the suit was dismissed. Subsequently, in March of 2000, Leonard Sperling filed a Motion for Reconsideration of Dismissal, which was granted on April 3, 2000. A pre-trial conference was scheduled for May 5, 2000, but Ms. Frank, yet to be served, failed to appear, and the conference was rescheduled for August 4, 2000, and again ⁴⁷⁶ for September 29, 2000.

When no one appeared for the latter of the conferences, the case was again dismissed, although Ms. Brunson-Hill was never informed of the dismissal. On February 22, 2008, Ms. Brunson-Hill e-mailed Jonathan to inquire about the status of her case, to which he responded by e-mail three days later that the case was “still making its rounds with the clerk and she assures me she is working on it.” Ms. Brunson-Hill was not told that her case had been dismissed, even though Jonathan became aware of the dismissal sometime prior to sending his response to Ms. Brunson-Hill. Thereafter, on April 11, 2008, the Sperling Law Office, as it was then known, filed a Motion to Re-open Case. That pleading stated in pertinent part: That Plaintiffs counsel has been in constant contact with the clerk’s office, reported the events that had transpired ■within the Court and was told the matter would be looked into and fixed and that Plaintiffs counsel should, “not worry, it would be fixed.” The Motion also asserted “[t]hat the clerk’s office did not fix the error, despite assurances to the contrary, and as a result the case was closed.” The Motion further stated that “Plaintiffs counsel has a good idea of where the Defendant is and if the matter were re-opened, Plaintiffs counsel would be able to proceed with due haste in completing this matter.” Jonathan attached an affidavit to the Motion to Re-open Case in which he attested that “I am familiar with this matter and that all statements made in the Motion are correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.” On May 5, 2008, the Sperling Law Office filed a Supplemental Motion to Re-open Case.

That motion reiterated the statements regarding “constant contact” with the clerk’s office, that the clerk’s office assured plaintiffs counsel that the situation would be fixed, and that plaintiffs counsel had a good idea where the defendant was located. Again, Jonathan attached a verified affidavit to the Supplemental Motion to Re-open Case, attesting that he was “familiar with this matter and that all ⁴⁷⁷ statements made in the Motion are correct to the best of my knowledge.” Jonathan also asserted in the affidavit that he “contacted the clerk’s office on numerous occasions, explaining the error and was assured on numerous occasions the matter would be fixed and re-opened.” Both Motions were denied. Ms. Brunson-Hill filed a complaint with Bar Counsel regarding Jonathan’s handling of her case. Bar Counsel charged Jonathan with violations of the Maryland Lawyers’ Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1 (Competence), 3 1.2(a) (Scope of Representation and Allocation of Authority Between Client and Lawyer), 4 1.3 (Diligence), 5 1.4(a)(1)-(3) and (b) (Communication), 6 3.1 (Meritorious Claims and Contentions), 7 3.3(a)(1) ⁴⁷⁸ and (a)(4) (Candor Toward the Tribunal), 8 4.1(a)(1) (Truthfulness in Statements to Others), 9 and 8.4(a), (c), and (d) (Misconduct). 10 By an Order dated February 22, 2012, we referred the Petition to Judge Judith C. Ensor of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County.

Judge Ensor held a hearing on August 14, 2012, during which Ms. Brunson-Hill, Jonathan Sperling, Leonard Sperling, and Samuel Sperling testified. Documentation of communications between Ms. Brunson-Hill and Jonathan was entered into evidence as well as the deposition of Loretta E. Knight, who was the manager of the civil department of the Clerk’s Office in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County from 1990 until 2006, at which time she was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. Judge Ensor issued the following findings of fact and conclu ⁴⁷⁹ sions of law, in which she found Jonathan violated Rules 1.1, 1.3, 1.4(a) and (b), 3.3(a), and 8.4(a), (c), and (d), but did not violate Rule 1.2: FINDINGS OF FACT[ 11 ] Jonathan graduated in December, 1997, from the University of Maryland School of Law, passed the bar on his first attempt, and was sworn in as a member of the Maryland Bar on June 24, 1998. Since that time, he essentially has worked for his father, Leonard Sperling.

When Jonathan first began with the firm, it was known as Sperling and Framm. In 2003, the practice became known as the Sperling Law Firm, P.C. Since joining his father’s firm, Jonathan has maintained a general practice; he has represented clients in both the civil and criminal arenas. Jonathan had been practicing law for roughly four weeks when Victoria Brunson-Hill (sometimes “Ms. BrunsonHill”) initially met with Leonard Sperling in late July, 1998. At that time, Ms. Brunson-Hill retained Leonard Sperling and the law firm of Sperling and Framm to represent her in connection with a claim for personal injuries.

Leonard “signed her up” with the firm and filed suit on Ms. Brunson-Hill’s behalf on November 30, 1998. The suit was filed in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, named Greta Renee Frank (sometimes “Ms. Frank”) as a defendant, and sought damages as a result of injuries sustained on July 12, 1998. More specifically, in the complaint, it was alleged that, while walking at or near a parking lot located in Prince George’s County, Ms. Brunson-Hill was struck by a vehicle driven by Ms. Frank. Ms. Brunson-Hill claimed to have been permanently injured as a result of the incident.

She sought $945,000 in damages and requested that the matter be tried before a jury. The clerk’s office sent notice on December 1, 1998, that the matter was scheduled for a settlement/pre-trial confer ⁴⁸⁰ ence on March 5, 1999. As Ms. Frank had not been served and was not present, the conference was postponed and reset for October 22, 1999. Four days prior to the new conference date, however, on October 18, 1999, the clerk’s office sent a notice of contemplated dismissal pursuant to Maryland Rule 2-507.

When no one appeared for the October 22, 1999, conference, the case was dismissed. On October 26, 1999, in response to the notice vis-á-vis contemplated dismissal, Leonard Sperling filed a pleading entitled “Motion to Dismiss Contemplated 2-507 Dismissal.” By the time that pleading was filed, the case had been dismissed as a result of the parties’ failure to appear at the October 22, 1999, settlement/pre-trial conference. Therefore, when the Honorable Paul H. Weinstein reviewed the Motion to Dismiss Contemplated 2-507 Dismissal on November 8, 1999, he determined that it was moot. As a result of this finding, on December 28, 1999, Leonard Sperling filed a motion to reconsider dismissal under Maryland Rule 2-507.

In that pleading, Leonard indicated that “the Plaintiffs’ Counsel never received a copy of a hearing date for the said Motion.” Leonard went on to say that “Plaintiffs Counsel received a notice from the Court that the above matter had been dismissed on October 22, 1999, because Plaintiff did not appear for the said hearing.” Leonard asked that the Court vacate its dismissal and reinstate the case. On March 29, 2000, Leonard Sperling filed a pleading entitled “Motion for Reconsideration of Dismissal,” and indicated that it was a supplement to the initial motion. In the supplement, Leonard stated that, since Ms. Frank had not been served, he “assumed” that “he was not expected to be present at a pre-trial conference.” Leonard also indicated that he had spoken with the clerk’s office and had been “informed that it was not necessary for the Plaintiff or Plaintiffs counsel to be present” for the pre-trial conference. The Motion for Reconsideration of Dismissal was granted by Judge Weinstein.

The corresponding order was entered on April 5, 2000. In the same order, Judge Wein ⁴⁸¹ stein provided a new settlexnent/pre-trial conference date of May 5, 2000. On May 5, 2000, Ms. Frank again failed to appear as she had not yet been served. The case was then set for a scheduling conference on August 4, 2000.

The case was again re-set, and this time scheduled for a conference on September 29, 2000. The case was called on September 29, 2000, but the parties failed to appear; the matter was dismissed. More than three years later, as a result of Leonard’s temporary suspension from the practice of law, Samuel Sperling moved to enter his appearance and strike that of his father. Four years after that, on April 11, 2008, Plaintiffs Motion to Re-open Case was filed.

In that pleading, among other things, counsel indicated that he had “been in constant contact with the clerk’s office, reported the events that had transpired within the Court and was told the matter would be looked into and fixed.” Moreover, plaintiffs counsel indicated that he was told he should “not worry, it would be fixed.” Importantly, Jonathan Sperling provided an affidavit in which he vouched for the truthfulness of the statements made in the motion. A Supplemental Motion to Re-open Case was filed on May 5, 2008. In the Supplemental Motion, plaintiffs counsel reiterated that he had “been in constant contact with the clerk’s office.” He added that he “made repeated calls regarding this matter, went over the previous calls, the matters discussed in the Hearings and was assured the matter would be fixed.” Jonathan Sperling provided an accompanying affidavit in which he affirmed that he was “extremely familiar” with the matter. He indicated that he had “contacted the clerk’s office on numerous occasions, explaining the error and was assured on numerous occasions the matter would be fixed and reopened.” The motion to re-open was denied on May 13, 2008, with notice sent to Samuel Sperling.

According to Jonathan, he became involved in Ms. Brunson-Hill’s case in August, 1998. By his own admission, ⁴⁸² Jonathan was “assigned principal responsibility for the day-to-day work on the case.” Jonathan testified, however, that, by “day-to-day work,” he meant that he drafted the discovery and made sure that the process server was engaged and diligent in his efforts to locate Ms. Frank. Jonathan also testified that he went to at least some of the pre-trial settlement conferences that had been scheduled by the Court. Other attorneys associated with the law firm worked on the case as well.

Jonathan never told Ms. Brunson-Hill that her case had been dismissed. He never told her that the statute of limitations had run. In fact, Ms. Brunson-Hill learned that the case had been dismissed only after she performed an internet inquiry through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search. She then followed up with Jonathan, specifically asking about the status of her case.

Jonathan responded to her via email dated February 25, 2008, simply indicating that the case “is still making its rounds with the clerk and she assures me she is working on it.” Ms. Brunson-Hill was not the only individual concerned about the status of the case. Her treating physician, Dr. Lawrence F. Honick, made inquiry through his office staff. Specifically, on December 26, 2001, Lisa Kirkpatrick faxed paperwork to Leonard Sperling. On the fax cover sheet, Ms. Kirkpatrick mentioned that, back on April 5, 2001, “Mr. Sperling indicated that [the] case was still pending.” Ms. Kirkpatrick also mentioned that she had “called many times and left many messages without an answer.” There is a response written on the fax cover sheet itself.

In all capital letters it is written “THIS CASE IS STILL PENDING IN COURT.” A similar inquiry from Dr. Honick’s office was sent on November 13, 2002. Jonathan’s response was provided the same day. He wrote: “THIS CASE STILL IN COURT!” There was yet another inquiry from Lisa Kirkpatrick on June 21, 2005. This time, the correspondence was sent to the attention of Jonathan Sperling.

In the body of the paperwork, Ms. Kirkpatrick stated that, on May 5, 2005, ⁴⁸³ Jonathan “indicated to Dr. Honick that this account would be going to court soon. What is the status?” Another request for this same information was sent on August 3, 2005. Ms. Kirkpatrick sent yet another inquiry on May 16, 2006. With respect to Jonathan’s alleged numerous conversations with the clerk’s office, the Commission submitted the deposition of Loretta Knight, who was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court in 2006.

Prior to that, she was a manager in the civil department. Ms. Knight testified that, back in 2000, there were in the neighborhood of 40 to 45 people working in the civil department, of whom perhaps 30 were trained to answer telephone inquiries. Ms. Knight indicated that there were periodic assignments to phone duty. According to Ms. Knight, if asked, a clerk was permitted to provide the status of any given case.

Ms. Knight was adamant, however, that no clerk was authorized to provide additional information. She did indicate that a clerk might direct additional inquiries to a specific judge. Jonathan Sperling never formally entered his appearance at any time during the pendency of the Montgomery County case. All pleadings were submitted under the signature of either Leonard Sperling or Samuel Sperling.

All court notices were sent to either Leonard Sperling or Samuel Sperling. 1. Failure to Attend Hearings on October 22, 1999, and September 29, 2000. It is the Commission’s position that, by failing to attend the October 22, 1999, and September 29, 2000, court hearings, Jonathan violated Rules 1.1 and 1.3 of the Maryland Lawyers’ Rules of Professional Conduct (“MLRPC”). In pushing its position, the Petitioner acknowledges that “Leonard Sperling, as the owner of the Sperling Law Firm, the name signed on the retainer agreement, and as the attorney whose appearance was entered in the case, was responsible for appearing on behalf of Ms. Brunson-Hill at ⁴⁸⁴ all court proceedings.” Petitioner adds, however, that “Leonard Sperling’s culpability does not absolve any subordinate attorney who may have shared the responsibility for appearing on behalf of Ms. Brunson-Hill.” Unlike many law firms, where cases are routinely assigned to and handled by a specific attorney, at this law firm, Leonard Sperling maintained almost complete control over all of the firm’s clients and cases.

According to the undisputed, credible testimony, Leonard brought in the clients, met with them, signed the retainer agreements, maintained the files, entered only his appearance in court, signed all of the pleadings, mandated that all notices, pleadings, and correspondence be directed to and reviewed by him personally, and managed the calendar for all court appearances. Except for specific tasks that he delegated to other attorneys, Leonard retained all responsibility and control. With respect to Ms. Brunson-Hill’s case, Jonathan Sperling, who had been practicing law for roughly two months, was assigned the tasks of drafting discovery and insuring that the defendant was properly served. On at least some occasions, Leonard Sperling had Jonathan appear in court.

He had other attorneys appear in court as well. Both Samuel Sperling and Andrea Babest worked on Ms. Brunson-Hill’s case. Samuel drafted the designation of expert witnesses. Andrea Babest assisted in efforts to find Ms. Frank.

Jonathan was never given full responsibility for the file. He was assigned discreet tasks to perform, as were other attorneys in the firm. Any court notices regarding hearings were sent directly to Leonard. Jonathan had only the information and assignments given to him by his father.

The manner in which Leonard Sperling chose to run his law firm is troubling. He kept virtually total control of every aspect of the cases. He does not appear to have developed or utilized any sort of reminder/tickler system or back up plan with respect to court appearances. It was only a matter of time before a court date was missed.

The responsibilities for these failings rests with Leonard, not ⁴⁸⁵ with Jonathan, who never received prior notice of the court dates and was not assigned by Leonard to attend them. After considering all of the facts and circumstances presented by way of live testimony and documentary evidence, this Court finds that the Petitioner failed to establish, by clear and convincing evidence, that, by failing to take it upon himself to determine whether there were any upcoming court appearances, and by failing to attend the October 22, 1999, September 29, 2000, hearings, Jonathan violated either Rule 1.1 or Rule 1.3. 2. Communications with Client. The Commission alleges that Jonathan Sperling ran afoul of the MLRPC by failing to keep Ms. Brunson-Hill abreast of the status of her case.

It is undisputed that Jonathan failed to inform Ms. Brunson-Hill that the case had been dismissed. He also failed to tell her that the statute of limitations had run. It is undisputed that, following a direct inquiry from Ms. Brunson-Hill, Jonathan indicated, via email on February 25, 2008, that the case was “making its rounds with the clerk and she assures me she is working on it.” By the time of his email communications, Jonathan knew that the case had been dismissed back in September, 2000. And, even if, somehow, Jonathan’s conversation years earlier with the clerk’s office led him to conclude that the dismissal would be vacated, he knew, given the passage of significant time, that the matter would not be resolved as he had hoped.

Ms. Brunson-Hill’s case lay dormant for an inordinate and unacceptable period of time. Suit was filed on November 30, 1998; it was ultimately dismissed on September 29, 2000. Notwithstanding Jonathan’s acknowledgment that he learned of the dismissal and his claim that he was in constant contact with the clerk’s office, the motion to reopen was not filed until April 11, 2008. As Jonathan Sperling admitted during his testimony, once he learned of the dismissal, he “totally dropped the ball.” In doing so, with respect to his representation of Ms. Brunson-Hill, ⁴⁸⁶ Jonathan violated Rule 1.1, Rule 1.3, Rule 1.4, and Rule 8.4 of the MLRPC. 3.

Communications with Dr. Honick’s Office. The Commission claims that Jonathan made false statements of material fact to Dr. Honick’s office regarding the status of Ms. Brunson-Hill’s case. The record makes clear that, over a number of years, Dr. Honick’s office repeatedly sought this information. It is alleged that Jonathan indicated that the case was pending when he knew it was not.

Initially, the inquiries from Lisa Kirkpatrick, with Dr. Honick’s office, were sent to the attention of Leonard Sperling. Subsequent inquiries were sent directly to Jonathan. It appears that Jonathan responded to the December 26, 2001, and November 13, 2002, inquiries. There is no indication that Jonathan Sperling, or anyone else associated with the law firm, responded to Ms. Kirkpatrick’s inquiries of June 21, 2005, August 3, 2005, and May 16, 2006.

The Commission did not call Dr. Honick, Lisa Kirkpatrick or anyone else associated with the medical office as a witness. The correspondence, however, was admitted without objection. It is clear from the documentary evidence presented that Dr. Honick’s office, over a period of several years, repeatedly sought information regarding the status of Ms. Brunson-Hill’s case. It is also clear that several requests were ignored.

What is unclear, and what the Commission failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence, is that, at the time Jonathan responded, he knew that the information was false. The Commission has failed to prove that Jonathan violated Rule 4.1. 4. Candor with the Tribunal. On April 11, 2008, Jonathan Sperling provided an affidavit to the Court, in which he affirmed that he was familiar with the case and that all of the statements made in the plaintiffs Motion to Reopen Case were correct to the best of his knowledge and belief.

In the motion itself, plaintiffs counsel stated that he had been “in constant contact with the ⁴⁸⁷ clerk’s office.” He also told the Court that someone in the clerk’s office had indicated that the matter would be “fixed,” and that plaintiff’s counsel should not worry. In the motion, plaintiffs counsel also stated that he “has a good idea where the defendant is” and that, if the matter were reopened, “plaintiffs counsel would be able to proceed with due haste.” On May 5, 2008, plaintiffs counsel filed a supplemental motion to reopen the case. The motion was accompanied by an affidavit signed by Jonathan Sperling. Jonathan stated that he had “contacted the clerk’s office on numerous occasions,” and had been told that “the matter would be fixed and re-opened.” At the August 14, 2012 hearing, Jonathan testified regarding his communication with the clerk’s office.

He indicated that, “early on,” once he learned of the dismissal, he contacted the clerk’s office and spoke with someone “with an accent.” Jonathan further testified that he called the clerk’s office on more than one occasion. He indicated that, each time he called, he was told that the error would be rectified. Jonathan was not able, however, to provide any specific information regarding the number of times he called, the dates and times of those calls, or the identities of those with whom he spoke. In fact, Jonathan testified that, during the relevant time period, he did not keep notes of incoming or outgoing telephone calls.

Jonathan’s testimony is in direct contrast to that of Loretta Knight, who was the manager of the civil department at the time. While Jonathan Sperling may have called the clerk’s office on one occasion, he did not call repeatedly. He most certainly was not in constant contact with the clerk’s office during the eight years following dismissal of this case. He was not told repeatedly by the clerk’s office that the problem would be fixed.

He was not told repeatedly that there was no need to worry. When Jonathan suggested otherwise to the Court, he was not candid. Moreover, the Sperling Law Firm had no more idea where defendant Greta Frank could be located in 2008 than it had in the period of time between 1998 and 2000, when the case ⁴⁸⁸ was dismissed. While the firm certainly attempted to locate Ms. Frank in the beginning, virtually no efforts were made to find Ms. Frank after the case was dismissed in September, 2000.

Jonathan was not candid with the Court when he stated that he had been working diligently on this case. Jonathan’s assertions to the Court were not merely a poor choice of words. Rather, and unfortunately, they were provided in an attempt to place blame on others and thereby convince the Court to re-open the matter. The Commission proved, by clear and convincing evidence, that Jonathan failed to be candid with the Court and, in doing so, violated Rule 4.1[ 12 ] and Rule 8.4.

CONCLUSION The Commission proved, by clear and convincing evidence, that Jonathan Sperling violated Rule 1.1 and Rule 1.3 of the MLRPC when, after learning of the dismissal, he failed to take appropriate action on Ms. Brunson-Hill’s behalf. The Commission also met its burden with respect to Rule 1.4, Rule 3.3 and Rule 8.4 of the MLRPC. The Commission failed to prove, by clear and convincing evidence, that Jonathan Sperling violated Rule 1.2 and Rule 4.1. “ ‘This Court has original and complete jurisdiction over attorney discipline proceedings in Maryland.’ ” Attorney Grievance v. Seltzer, 424 Md. 94, 112 , 34 A.3d 498, 509