82 Neb. 361 | Neb. | 1908
Lead Opinion
This is a proceeding to disbar the respondent, Allen G-. Fisher, who is an attorney at law, duly licensed to practice his profession in all of the courts of this state. It was instituted by the attorney general in response to a resolution of the house of representatives of the legislative assembly of 1907.
Taking the proceedings above described as a basis therefor, the respondent filed with the auditor of public accounts, and presented to the legislative assembly of 1901, a claim for payment for said land, in which he alleged that its value was $8,000, and as proof thereof referred to said decree and a copy of the appraisement, which respondent stated was attached to and made a part of his claim. No copy of the appraisement was in fact attached to the claim, and for that reason it was disallowed and rejected. It further appears that, after the appraisement was made, its amount was fraudulently changed and altered from $1,500 to $11,500; that respondent again presented the claim to the legislative assembly of 1903, and attached thereto a copy of said changed,
On the 16th day of April, 1907, the attorney general filed the information contained in the record herein, which which need not be set forth, and to which the respondent filed' his answer, denying the charges therein contained. Thereupon the matter was referred to a committee of attorneys of this court, consisting of Honorable Charles H. Sloan of Fillmore county; Honorable Walter L. Anderson of Lancaster county, and Honorable H. P. Leavitt of Douglas county, who are also members of the state bar commission, with directions to hear the testimony, and to find and report their conclusions of fact and law. In obedience to this order, the committee has taken the testimony and filed its report. We do not deem it necessary or expedient to set forth the report in full in this opinion, and it is sufficient to say that, so far as it was adverse to respondent, it set forth that by the aid and connivance of the county attorney of Sioux county respondent procured the decree above mentioned; that the land in question was appraised and valued at $1,500; that some one unknown to the committee fraudulently changed and altered the same after it was filed in the office of the clerk
That the procedure adopted in this case is the proper one there can be no doubt, for that matter was fully and finally settled by our decision in State v. Burr, 19 Neb. 593, and so the first question to be determined is the one raised by respondent’s exceptions to the report of the committee. Upon this branch of the case, we can say that we have carefully read all of the evidence, and find that it fully and amply sustains the findings of the committee, and defendant’s exceptions are therefore overruled.
We come now to consider respondent’s motion to dismiss this proceeding nothwithstanding the findings. It is strenuously contended that the facts found by the committee, as above stated, do not constitute the offense or any part of it charged in the information, and are not
Now, in the case at bar, the respondent was acquitted of changing or altering the appraisement, and it is quite probable that he did not know of its alteration until after he presented his claim to the legislature at its session of 1903. But it appears that during that year his attention was directed to the matter, and he must have known that fact when he again presented the claim in 1905. There is no escape from this conclusion, and so when he used the fraudulent appraisement to support his claim, after having knowledge of its condition, he was guilty of gross, unprofessional conduct, and a breach of sound professional ethics. His conduct having been brought to our
The state has also asked that all of the costs of this proceeding be taxed against the respondent. In determining that matter, we find that in Morton v. Watson, 60 .Neb. 672, it was held: “In disbarment proceedings costs cannot be taxed against the informers, at least where the informers acted in good faith in bringing the alleged misconduct of the attorney to the attention of the court.” The ruling there announced was based on the proposition
Judgment accoedinglt.
The following opinion on motion for rehearing was filed January 9, 1909. Rehearing denied:
Rehearing
In the opinion by Barnes, C. J., in this case, it is said: “It further appears that, after the appraisement was made, its amount was fraudulently changed and altered from $1,500 to $11,500; that respondent again presented the claim to the legislative assembly of 1903, and attached thereto' a copy of said changed, fraudulent and altered appraisement, and said claim was again rejected and disallowed. It also appears that the respondent again presented his claim to the legislature of 1905, together with said fraudulent, false and altered appraisement, and pressed the same for allowance, and for a third time it was disallowed and rejected.” Respondent’s application for rehearing is based almost entirely upon the words quoted from the opinion of Barnes, C. J., which we have italicized. Respondent says that “the commission did not find that defendant, in presenting a claim to the legislature in 1905, ‘knowingly supported it with a false, forged and fraudulent appraisement as evidence of its value.’ ” Respondent’s argument is to the effect that the commission did not make any such finding, and that there was no evidence in the record to that effect. Tech
In his typewritten brief, filed December 15, 1905, calling attention to the bunch of papers marked “Showing in support of petition for rehearing,” respondent says: “This claim was not supported by any certified copy or any appraisal in 1903. In proof of this, defendant asks an examination of the report and opinions of Attorney General Prout, 1903,1904, wherein, at page 35, is said relative to this claim then before the committee: 'The transcript at the present time is in the same condition it then (1901) was, except that a new voucher has been attached, which is filed simply as an amendment and supplement to the proof on said original claim No. 55,846. On the back of
The motion for rehearing is without merit, and should be
Overruled.