Williford v. State

194 S.E. 384, 56 Ga. App. 840, 1937 Ga. App. LEXIS 247
Court of Appeals of Georgia·Decided November 26, 1937·No. 26281·Published·Cited by 17 cases

Opinion

MacIntyre, J.

On April 17, 193S, the solicitor-general of the Atlanta judicial circuit, in behalf of the State of Georgia, instituted a disbarment proceeding against B. C. Williford. As grounds for disbarment the petition set forth that the defendant was indicted by the grand jury of Tift County, on December 7, 1921, in two counts, each charging a separate and distinct felony, to wit, (1) forgery of a deed, and (2) uttering said forged deed with intent ■to defraud; that the defendant was found guilty, the jury fixing his punishment at not less than four nor more than five years on each count, but recommending that he be punished as for a misdemeanor; that the trial judge thereupon sentenced him to the penitentiary for not less than four nor more than five years on each count, the sentence on count 2 to begin at the expiration of the sentence on count 1; that on December 24, 1921, said sentences were amended by the judge imposing a fine of $1000, or in lieu thereof service of twelve months on the county chain gang, on each count; that, on information and belief, the fines of $2000 were paid; that the defendant has been guilty of wilful misconduct in his profession in the following particulars: (1) In 1929, he was entrusted by J. W. Davis with a mortgage made [842] by W. R. Gurthie and payable to J. W. Davis for the purpose of collecting the same, and he did thereafter collect and convert $109 to his own use, to the injury and without the consent of j. W. Davis, for which offense the grand jury of Atkinson County, Georgia, returned a true bill against the defendant at the October adjourned term of the superior court, which indictment is pending in the superior court of Atkinson County. (2) In 1929, the defendant, being attorney of record for J. M. Giddens against E. P. Rouse and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company, garnishee, the same being a certiorari from a justice’s court, was entrusted by J. M. Giddens with $5 for the purpose of paying the court costs in said certiorari proceeding, and, after having been so entrusted, did wrongfully, fraudulently, and feloniously convert said sum of money to his own use, and failed and refused to return the same to J. M. Giddens; and that for such offense the grand jury of Atkinson County returned a true bill against the defendant which indictment is still pending in the superior court of said county. The prayers were that the defendant be forever disbarred from the practice of law; and for an order restraining him from the practice of law until final termination of the disbarment proceeding.

The defendant filed pleadings as follows: (1) Demurrer; (2) plea and answer; (3) plea to the jurisdiction; (4) plea of res judicata; all filed on May 5, 1935. (5) Amendment to plea and answer, filed after a motion by the plaintiff to dismiss the defendant’s original plea and answer; (6) amendment to the plea to the jurisdiction; (7) amendment to plea of res judicata; (8) motion to dismiss the disbarment petition; (9) another motion to. dismiss the disbarment petition; all filed on July 30, 1935. (10) A motion to dismiss the plaintiff’s motion to dismiss the defendant’s original plea and answer, above mentioned, filed on August 1, 1935. (11) Another amendment to the original plea and answer; (12) another amendment to the plea to the jurisdiction; both filed on August 3, 1935. (13) An amendment to the demurrer; (14) an amended motion to dismiss the disbarment petition; both filed on December 2, 1935. (15) Another amendment of the motion to dismiss the disbarment petition, filed on June 22, 1936. On October 10, 1936, the plaintiff filed a motion to suspend the defendant until final determination of the [843] issues in the suit for disbarment, reciting that subsequently to the filing of the disbarment suit the defendant was indicted by the grand jury of Fulton County for the offense of perjury alleged to have been committed in several of his pleadings to the disbarment proceeding, above orrtlined, on which indictment he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to a term in the penitentiary. To this motion the defendant filed a demurrer and a plea and answer. On October 20, 1936, the court overruled the defendant’s demurrers, the plea of res judicata and motions to dismiss the disbarment petition, and passed the following order: “The motion to suspend Ben C. Williford from the right to practice law in the State of Georgia, pending the final determination of a motion to disbar him from practicing law, having been set for a hearing October 16, 1936, and it appearing from the evidence and argument had that the said Ben C. Williford has heretofore been convicted of offenses involving moral turpitude; it is therefore ordered that the said Ben C. Williford be and he is hereby suspended from the right to practice law in the courts of the State of Georgia, until a final disposition of the proceeding to disbar him and until further order of the court, except that the said Ben C. Williford shall be allowed to appear before the judge in any case which has been tried before a jury and which is now pending on motion, in order that he may complete any case tried by him and which has not been finally terminated, and in which he is sole counsel.” Exceptions are taken to the above rulings and the order suspending the defendant from the practice of law until the final determination of the issues in the disbarment proceeding.

The special demurrers to the petition were properly overruled. The facts alleged as a cause for removing the defendant as an attorney were stated with certainty and particularity, and were sufficient to apprise him of the nature of the charges. No formal pleading is necessary in a suit to disbar an attorney.

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Williford v. State, 194 S.E. 384, 56 Ga. App. 840, 1937 Ga. App. LEXIS 247 (Ga. Ct. App. 1937).

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