In re Egan

157 N.W. 310, 37 S.D. 159, 1916 S.D. LEXIS 31
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedApril 4, 1916
DocketFile No. 3819
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 157 N.W. 310 (In re Egan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Egan, 157 N.W. 310, 37 S.D. 159, 1916 S.D. LEXIS 31 (S.D. 1916).

Opinion

WHITING, J.

This is an original proceeding seeking the disbarment of one Georgé W. Egan, a duly licensed practitioner at the bar of this count. Our records show that respondent was first admitted to the bar of this court on November 17, 1907, such admission being subject to a condition expressed in the order of admission; that he was disbarred on October 10, 1908; that he sought readmis-sion. on June 22, 1909; that his petition was rejected December 1, 1909; that he again sought readmission on July 9, 1910; that the judgment of disbarment was modified so that he was readmitted on January x, 1911; and1 that the present proceeding was instituted by a petition filed in this court on May 14, 1915. This proceeding is1 now before us upon a motion to affirm the report of the referees and to -enter judgment^ in conformity with the recommendations of such report. W-e d-eem the facts revealed upon the hearings of the original petition for admission, the original, disbarment .proceeding, and -the two applications for reinstatement all material and pertinent to- the consideration of the motion now before us. No- comprehensive statement of such facts -can well be made at this time, as to incorporate them herein would unduly -extend this -opinion. Reference is therefore -made to- the -statements of facts found in- the several opinions of this -court. In re Egan, 22 S. D. 355, 117 N. W. 874; In re Egan, 24 S. D. 301, 123 N. W. 478; In re Egan, 27 S. D. 16, 129 N. W. 365. The three members of this court [163]*163who wore then members desire to state that it was with much hesitancy, and with a .feeling - that its better judgment was- perhaps being unduly influenced' through sympathy for 'the respondent, and yet prompted somewhat by the fear that, in case it refused his petition, it might do injustice, that this court, upon the second petition for .read-mission, determined to1 err, if it erred at all, on thie side of mercy. While it fully .realized the gravity of respondent’s past offenses, it yet hoped that his protestations of reformation and regret for the past, as declared in his petition and his sworn statements in open court, were sincere, and that his. future record as an' attorney at law would justify its action. It was in such1 a spirit and prompted- by such a hope that this count, speaking through Justice Haney, than whom few men ever suffered greater wrong from another than he had from respondent, said:

“Undoubtedly he has disregarded hi-s duty as an attorney and counselor at law; his duty as. a citizen.. Nevertheless', assuming the good faith, of his present attitude, appreciating the consequences to him of continued exclusion from his chosen profession, possessing .the power to correct the mistake if time shall reveal that one has been -made, and hoping the exercise of clemency may broaden, the petitioner’s charity towards his fellow men, the court concludes., without receding in the slightest degree from either of its former decisions as- to. the fitness of the petitioner to practice law when such, decision was rendered, that he should now be given an opportunity to demonstrate the genuineness of his reformation.”

At the primaries in .1910, and again .in. 1912, respondent sought nomination as a candidate for the office of governor. His experiences before the bar. of this court were thus brought into prominence before the .people of the. whole state. It was prior to and in the 1910. campaign that he made the charges, recorded in In re Egan, 24 S. D. 301, 123 N. W. 478, to the effect that the original disbarment proceeding was of .political origin and the judgment of this court therein prompted by corrupt. political motives. The vote received by him. at such primaries was proof that many .of the people .of 'this, state must.-halve given credence to such charges. At the time the.present proceeding was .instituted it-was commonly reported that he would, again in ,.1916. seek [164]*164nomination as ¡a candidate tor the govemsh’ip. Considering all of' the ' above facts, and believing that it would promote more widespread confidence ,-in the results- if- the trial oif the issues raised was referred to three referees instead' of one, as has been the .previous custom of this -court in disbarment matters, w-e felt called upon to -and -did refer such issues to a board of three referees. To insure the selection of referees acceptable to both ■respondent and the Attorney General, the court requested respondent to' and he did furnish a list of names of those acceptable to him. From the name-s so furnished ■the Attorney General ■selected thloise that would be acceptable to him, and from names so' selected a board of referees was finally chosen,, consisting of A. W. Campbell, of Aberdeen, A. H. Orvis, of Yankton, and Chambers Kellar, of Lead It is the report of this -board- of referees, in- whose ability and- integrity of purpose every member of this1 court, and we feel certain the people- at large, have absolute 'confidence, that we are’ called upon -to 'consider. To the affirmance of such report counsel for respondent have filed certain written objections, which objections' are almost entirely directed to the sufficiency of the evidence to support the referees’ findings of facts.

Unprofessional conduct in .relation to. nine different matters was 'charged against respondent. As to> one of these- matters no evidence was offered in support of the charges. As to' two other ■matters the referees found in favor of respondent, and, inasmuch as the prosecution has not asked that the-sa findings be set aside-, it becomes unnecessary for us- to, .and we therefore do- not, express any opinion! up-o-n the correctness of these particular findings.

A vast .amount of evidence, the transcript -of which comprises some 1,000 pages of typewriting, was1 submitted upon the issues raised on the other charges. We 'have gone1 through such evidence with -great care. While there is an irreconcilable conflict therein upon many matters, amid different findings upon minor matters' — in .some instances favorable and in others unfavorable to respondent — would find! such support a-s to warrant our affirmance thereof if they bad1 been returned, yet the referees had the opportunity of seeing such,' witnesses as appeared -before them, and! their appearance upon the witness stand certainly assisted such referees 'in determining the credit that should be given to [165]*165their words. There is no finding in relation to any one of these charges that is not supported by ample evidence. A review of ¡such evidence could not be made in an opinion of reasonable length, and such a review could serve no' useful purpose. The findings themselves comprise some 20 pages of typewriting. We 'shall not attempt to even set the findings out in full, but shall merely state the substance of .such findings as we feel are particularly material to the motion before us, using care, how> ever, to refer to everything therein in any manner favorable to the respondent.

[1] Svendsen Charge. Through the failure of his clerk to follow directions given by respondent, and through respondent’s failure to read a certain affidavit before executing and filing same, respondent unwittingly filad, in the case of Svendsen v. Svendsen, then pending in the trial court, a.n affidavit in which it was charged positively, instead of upon information and belief, as intended by respondent, that opposing counsel had, by -the payment of a money consideration, procured a false affidavit, and had filed the same in such court. Respondent’s charge against such opposing counsel was false -in fact.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
157 N.W. 310, 37 S.D. 159, 1916 S.D. LEXIS 31, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-egan-sd-1916.