In re Gordon

• Court: District of Columbia Court of Appeals
• Decided: August 15, 2024
• Docket: 24-BG-0652
• Status: Published

Opinion

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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS

No. 24-BG-0652

IN RE ALISHA E. GORDON, RESPONDENT.

A Member of the Bar of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals (Bar Registration No. 1010943)

On Report and Recommendation of the Board on Professional Responsibility Hearing Committee Number Four Approving Amended Petition for Negotiated Discipline (BDN: 24-ND-003; DDN: 2022-D091)

(Decided August 15, 2024)

Before BECKWITH and MCLEESE, Associate Judges, and RUIZ, Senior Judge.

PER CURIAM: This decision is nonprecedential. Please refer to D.C. Bar R.

XI, § 12.1(d) regarding the appropriate citation of this opinion.

In this disciplinary matter, the Hearing Committee recommends approval of

an amended petition for negotiated attorney discipline. See D.C. Bar R. XI,

§ 12.1(c). Respondent Alisha E. Gordon voluntarily acknowledged that, in

connection with securing a temporary restraining order (“TRO”) on behalf of a

client, she (1) misrepresented to the court that she had notified the opposing parties 2

of the TRO hearing and (2) failed to subsequently correct the misrepresentation at

opposing counsel’s request. As a result, respondent admits that she knowingly made

a false statement of fact to a tribunal and failed to correct it in violation of D.C. R.

Pro. Conduct 3.3(a). Respondent further admits that she thereby also engaged in

conduct involving dishonesty or misrepresentation that seriously interfered with the

administration of justice in violation of D.C. R. Pro. Conduct 8.4(c)-(d). The

proposed discipline consists of a public censure and six hours of continuing legal

education courses preapproved by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel.

Having reviewed the Committee’s recommendation in accordance with our

procedures in uncontested disciplinary cases, see D.C. Bar R. XI, § 12.1(d), we agree

that this case is appropriate for negotiated discipline and that “the agreed-upon

sanction is ‘justified,’” In re Mensah, 262 A.3d 1100, 1104 (D.C. 2021) (per curiam)

(quoting D.C. Bar R. XI, § 12.1(c)(3)), in light of reasonably analogous precedents.

See In re Benjamin, 698 A.2d 434, 441 (D.C. 1997) (explaining that a public censure

“is within the range of sanctions that might be imposed in a non-reciprocal case” for

misrepresentations to a court); cf. In re Rohde, 234 A.3d 1203 (D.C. 2020) (per

curiam) (public censure for misrepresentations to a court). Accordingly, it is 3

ORDERED that respondent Alisha E. Gordon is publicly censured and

required to complete six hours of continuing legal education preapproved by the

Office of Disciplinary Counsel.

So ordered.