S.F. Bar Ass'n v. Oppenheim

186 Cal. 75
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedJune 6, 1921
DocketCrim. No. 2350
StatusPublished

This text of 186 Cal. 75 (S.F. Bar Ass'n v. Oppenheim) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
S.F. Bar Ass'n v. Oppenheim, 186 Cal. 75 (Cal. 1921).

Opinions

ANGELLOTTI, C. J.

This is a proceeding instituted in this court for the disbarment of Morris Oppenheim, an attorney and counselor, for -conduct involving moral turpitude. Defendant was at all the times mentioned in the accusation one of the police judges of the city and county of San Francisco, and, as in the case of San Francisco Bar Assn. v. Sullivan, 185 Cal. 621, [198 Pac. 7], all the charges against him are for acts and conduct on his part with relation to matters coming before him as such police judge. Three separate specific charges against the accused are made by the accusation. The accused denied the truth of each charge. By order of the court, the evidence in support of and against the charges was taken by the chief justice, and the transcript of the evidence taken has received full consideration at the hands of each member of the court.

[76]*76The charges are of the same general nature as those made against John J. Sullivan in the proceeding referred to above. In the opinion in that matter we sufficiently discussed the rules of law applicable, and it is not necessary to repeat that 'discussion here. In this matter, as in the Sullivan case, the only direct evidence of guilt of the accused of any of the specific offenses charged is that of C. Vincent Riccardi, whose credibility as a witness is fully discussed in the opinion in that case. It is unnecessary to repeat that discussion here, further than to say, as we substantially said there, that we can accept Ms testimony as true only in so far as it is substantially corroborated by other evidence. We had occasion in the Sullivan ease to discuss the business of Peter P. McDonough and the intimate relations existing between Mm and the accused therein. The same sort of intimacy existed between him and the accused here, and all that is said in the opimon in that case about these matters is equally applicable here.

The specific charge mainly relied on is the first in order in the accusation, being with relation to the conduct of the accused in a matter pending before him as a committing magistrate, in which one George Imperiale was charged with the crime of manslaughter. The charge is that wMle this matter was so pending before him, the accused entered into a conspiracy and agreement with one Peter P. McDonough wherein and whereby it was understood and agreed that accused, as police judge, should make such orders in regard to the bail of Imperiale that the latter would be induced to discharge his then attorney, one John V. Filippini, and employ in his place 0. Vincent Biccardi, and also to pay for attorney fees and his release from custody and for the dismissal of the case five hundred dollars, of which sum Mc-Donough was to receive a part; that, in pursuance of such corrupt agreement, accused, on April 24, 1919, first made an order fixing the bail at five thousand dollars bond or two thousand five hundred dollars cash, and subsequently on the same day made an order holding Imperiale without bail, thus inducing Imperiale to discharge Filippini from Ms employment and to employ Biccardi in Ms place, and that then accused made a third order, fixing the bail at one thousand dollars, which amount was furnished by Mc-Donough, and Imperiale thereupon released; and that on [77]*77or about May 23, 1919, the case was finally dismissed; and that the sum of five hundred dollars was paid by Imperiale for attorney fees and for his release, and for the dismissal of the ease, of which sum McDonough received two hundred dollars. There is no claim either in the accusation or the evidence that accused was to receive or did receive any money in this matter.

Imperiale, who was engaged in the business of running an auto stage or truck, had, in operating his car, run into and killed a child. The charge of manslaughter was based upon his alleged negligence in this matter. In so far as the dismissal of the charge by accused is concerned, it is not claimed that the accused was not fully justified in his action by the facts. No effort was made by the accuser to show what an investigation of the facts disclosed. Mr. George B. Keane, an attorney employed by the parents of the dead child, testified that he fully investigated the facts, and concluded that there was no case against Imperiale. It is undisputed that in open court he so stated to the accused judge and asked that the matter be dismissed. In so far as the record shows, there was no probable cause shown for believing Imperiale to be guilty of the crime with which he was charged, and the dismissal was proper.

It is solely in connection with the matter of the bail of Imperiale that anything improper appears. Imperiale, an ignorant foreigner, was in custody on the charge of manslaughter, having been arrested the night before. Biceardi had such information as to lead him to the conclusion that he had some property and sufficient resources to enable him to pay a large amount of money to gain his liberty. Here was a fertile field for development in the eyes of Biceardi. An intervening obstacle to such development was the presence in the ease of Mr. John V. Filippini as the attorney of Imperiale. Mr. Filippini was an attorney at law of good repute, without much police court or criminal practice experience, who as a lawyer had previously done some business for Imperiale and had! his confidence. In consequence of this he had been engaged to appear for him in this matter, and was, with Mrs. Imperiale, in and about the Hall of Justice and the courtroom of accused on the morning of April 24th, when Imperiale was first brought into court to answer to the charge, engaged in an effort to obtain the release of Imperiale on bail. It was consid[78]*78ered by Riceardi to be necessary to exclude Filippini from the case and to obtain his own employment in his place. The plan adopted to accomplish this was to bring Imperiale and his wife and Filippini to a conclusion that Filippini could not obtain an order for such release on bail, or other favorable action in the case, and that Riceardi could obtain his release at once and eventually a dismissal of the case.

There can be no doubt that Imperiale and his wife and Filippini were prevailed upon to believe that Filippini could do nothing for Imperiale in that court, and that with the assent of Imperiale, Filippini withdrew from the case, and Riceardi took charge. Except for the continued representations and insinuations by Riceardi as to his ability to accomplish results and the lack of knowledge of Filippini as to how things must be done in order to obtain favorable results in that court, the potent consideration leading the parties to the conclusion that Filippini could do nothing was certain information given them as to an alleged change made by the accused in the matter of the bail. It is the alleged willful participation by the accused with Riceardi in this matter, as well as in the original fixing of bail, that is mainly relied on by the accuser.

Riceardi’s story is, in brief, substantially as follows: All his dealings in the matter were with McDonough, and at no time did he speak to the accused about the case. Before court convened on the morning of April 24, 1919, he went to McDonough’s place of business and acquainted him with the prospect of mutual gain in the Imperiale case in the event that he was employed as attorney in place of Filippini. McDonough agreed to help and Riceardi divulged his plan, which was to have the judge fix the bail at so high a figure as to make it impossible for Filippini to obtain it. McDonough said he would communicate with the judge at once.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In Re Bar Association of San Francisco
198 P. 7 (California Supreme Court, 1921)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
186 Cal. 75, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sf-bar-assn-v-oppenheim-cal-1921.