Attorney “Imploded All At Once, Without Warning And Without Reason”
A lawyer already suspended for misconduct and other reasons got a nine-month suspension from the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The violations
In 2005, Attorney Smoler asked the S.s if they would loan her $50,000 so that she could pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit on behalf of another client, C.J., that would be brought against one of the same doctors involved in the S.s’ case. The S.s agreed to loan the $50,000 to Attorney Smoler. To memorialize the loan, Attorney Smoler drafted a document entitled “Loan/Promissory Note” which set forth the terms of the loan. The loan called for five and one-half percent interest annually or statutory interest as awarded by the court. The loan was for two years. Attorney Smoler did not put any language in the note providing the S.s with an opportunity to speak with alternate counsel about the loan. The loan was signed by the parties on August 31, 2005. Attorney Smoler was paid $50,000 on September 13, 2005. She deposited the money into her business checking account.
Two years passed without Attorney Smoler making a payment to the S.s on the loan. The S.s agreed to extend the terms of the note one more year at Attorney Smoler’s request. By October 2009, no payments had been made on the loan. The S.s hired an attorney who demanded payment. Attorney Smoler failed to pay the loan in response to a demand letter from the S.s’ counsel.
She responded to the bar matter by asserting an inability to repay the loan. There were misconduct findings in another medical malpractice case.
The referee was puzzled
In discussing the appropriate sanction, the referee noted that Attorney Smoler apparently practiced at a very competent and accomplished level for many years. The referee said, “No facts of record explain her sad story. It is as though she imploded all at once, without warning, and without reason.” The referee went on to comment, “For an attorney with an otherwise unblemished record, Smoler’s slide into the dark side seems incredibly unfortunate. . . . . Smoler’s failure in general to supply information to OLR in the course of the investigation into both client matters does not help the situation and only further indicates her inability to function at a very basic level.”
The court ordered restitution. (Mike Frisch)