Answer Brief John F

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF FLORIDA THE FLORIDA BAR, Complainant, Case No. SC03-153 [TFB Case No. 2002-11,379(05A)] v. RANDALL J. COHEN, Respondent. _____________________________/ THE FLORIDA BAR'S ANSWER BRIEF JOHN F. HARKNESS, JR. Executive Director The Florida Bar 651 East Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2300 (850)561-5600 ATTORNEY NO. 123390 JOHN ANTHONY BOGGS Staff Counsel The Florida Bar 651 East Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2300 (850)561-5600 ATTORNEY NO. 253847 AND JAN K. WICHROWSKI Bar Counsel The Florida Bar 1200 Edgewater Drive Orlando, Florida, 32804-6314 (407)425-5424 ATTORNEY NO. 381586 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ...............................................................iii TABLE OF OTHER AUTHORITIES ........................................................ v SYMBOLS AND REFERENCES ...........................................................vi STATEMENT OF THE CASE ............................................................. 1 STATEMENT OF THE FACTS ............................................................ 3 SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT ......................................................... 5 ARGUMENT POINT I WHETHER RULE 4-8.4(d) CAN BE APPLIED TO A LAWYER ACTING IN HIS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY? ................................................. 7 POINT II i WHETHER THE REFEREE PROPERLY EXERCISED HIS DISCRETION IN GRANTING THE FLORIDA BAR’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT? ........................................ 14 POINT III WHETHER THE REFEREE’S FINDING THAT RESPONDENT’S CONDUCT VIOLATED RULE 4-8.4(d) WAS SUPPORTED BY THE EVIDENCE? ............................................. 21 POINT IV WHETHER THE REFEREE’S RECOMMENDATION THAT RESPONDENT UNDERGO PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING OR COUNSELING WAS SUPPORTED BY THE EVIDENCE? ............................................. 25 CONCLUSION ....................................................................... 26 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE ............................................................. 28 COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 9.201(a)(2) .................................................... 29 ii APPENDIX .......................................................................... 30 APPENDIX INDEX .................................................................... 31 iii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES PAGE The Florida Bar v. Went For It, Inc. ......................................................... 11 515 U.S. 618 (1995) American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Inc. v. The Florida Bar .................................... 11 744 F. Supp. 1094 (N.D. Fla. 1990) Carpineta v. Shields ..................................................................... 15 70 So. 2d 573 (Fla. 1954) The Florida Bar v. Bennett ................................................................. 7 276 So. 2d 481 (Fla. 1973) The Florida Bar v. Cibula 725 So. 2d 360 (Fla. 1998) ............................................................... 10 The Florida Bar v. Clark 528 So. 2d 369 (Fla. 1988) ..........................................................10, 12, 13 The Florida Bar v. Hooper ................................................................. 7 507 So. 2d 1078 (Fla. 1987) The Florida Bar v. Hosner ................................................................. 7 iv 520 So. 2d 567 (Fla. 1988) The Florida Bar v. Kelly ............................................................... 8, 23 813 So. 2d 85 (Fla. 2002) The Florida Bar v. Lusskin ............................................................... 14 661 So. 2d 1211(Fla. 1995) The Florida Bar v. Nunes ............................................................... 8, 23 734 So. 2d 393 (Fla. 1999) The Florida Bar v. Ray .................................................................. 11 797 So. 2d 556 (Fla. 2001) The Florida Bar re Amendments to Rules Regulating The Florida Bar .............................. 10, 13 624 So. 2d 720 (Fla. 1993) The Florida Bar v. Roth .................................................................. 14 693 So. 2d 969 (Fla. 1997) The Florida Bar v. Sayler ................................................................. 12 721 So. 2d 1152 (Fla. 1998) The Florida Bar v. Spears ................................................................ 24 786 So. 2d 516 (Fla. 2001) v The Florida Bar v. Wasserman ............................................................. 12 675 So. 2d 103 (Fla. 1996) Moore v. Morris .................................................................... 14, 15 475 So. 2d 666 (Fla. 1985) Whitten v. Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. ................................................. 21 410 So. 2d 501 (Fla. 1982) In re Rouss ........................................................................... 13 221 N.Y. 81, 116 N. E. 782 (1917) vi TABLE OF OTHER AUTHORITIES PAGE Rules Regulating The Florida Bar Preamble ............................................................................. 9 3-4.1 ............................................................................... 19 4-3.1 .....................................................................1, 6, 8, 9, 21, 23 4-8.4(d) ........................................................ 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 23 Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure 9.120(a) .............................................................................. 2 Florida Rules of Civil Procedure 1.510 ............................................................................... 14 1.510(c) ............................................................................. 15 Florida Statutes vii 57.105 .............................................................................. 22 viii SYMBOLS AND REFERENCES In this brief, the complainant, The Florida Bar, shall be referred to as "The Florida Bar" or "the Bar." The transcript of the hearing held on April 28, 2003, on the parties’ motions for summary judgment shall be referred to as “TI” followed by the cited page number. The transcript of the final hearing held on July 18, 2003, shall be referred to as "TII" followed by the cited page number. The Report of Referee dated July 23, 2003, will be referred to as "ROR" followed by the referenced page number(s) of the Appendix, attached. (ROR-A____). The two petitions for protection against repeat violence filed by the respondent that form the basis for this matter are included in the Appendix and will be referenced by the appropriate Appendix page number(s) . There were no exhibits in this case. ix STATEMENT OF THE CASE After giving the respondent appropriate notice and an opportunity to respond, the Fifth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee "A" voted to find probable cause in this matter on October 25, 2002. On January 29, 2003, the Bar filed its Complaint and the referee was appointed on or about February 26, 2003. On March 12, 2003, the respondent moved for summary judgment and on March 21, 2003, The Florida Bar filed its motion for summary judgment. After hearing both motions on April 28, 2003, the referee entered summary judgment in favor of the Bar on May 16, 2003, in a lengthy and detailed order which outlined the referee’s reasoning. At the discipline hearing held on July 18, 2003, the respondent was given every opportunity to submit relevant testimony and evidence. The referee served his report on July 23, 2003, finding the respondent's conduct violated Rules Regulating The Florida Bar 4-3.1 for bringing or defending a proceeding or asserting or controverting an issue therein where there is no basis for doing so that is not frivolous; and 4-8.4(d) for engaging in conduct in connection with the practice of law that is prejudicial to the administration of justice, and recommending that the respondent be publicly reprimanded by a personal appearance before the Supreme Court of Florida, undergo an evaluation by Florida Lawyers Assistance, 1 Inc., within thirty days from entry of the order of discipline for a psychological evaluation and, if treatment is deemed necessary, enter into a rehabilitation contract with Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc., attend a CLE approved seminar on the subject of gender bias/gender sensitivity within ninety days from entry of the order of discipline, and pay the costs of this disciplinary action. The Board of Governors of The Florida Bar considered the Report of Referee at its meeting in August, 2003, and voted not to seek an appeal. On September 19, 2003, the respondent served his petition for review and on October 15, 2003, he served a motion for extension of time to file his initial brief. This Court granted his motion for extension of time on October 31, 2003, giving the respondent until December 15, 2003, to file his initial brief. The respondent served his Initial Brief on December 12, 2003, but because it failed to comply with Fla. R. Civ. P. 9.120(a), this Court entered an order on December 15, 2003, directing him to refile the brief on or before January 5, 2004. The respondent refiled his Initial Brief on December 31, 2003. 2 STATEMENT OF THE FACTS In his order granting summary judgment in favor of the Bar, the referee found that the material facts that were pertinent to the issues were not in dispute. As a result, the referee did not make factual findings in his Report of Referee. The respondent was involved in a romantic relationship with Julie Satterfield-Parrish from approximately October, 2000, to July, 2001. (Bar’s Complaint paragraph 3; TI pp. 5-6). Thereafter, the relationship between the respondent and Ms. Satterfield-Parrish became acrimonious (TI p. 6) and Ms. Satterfield-Parrish sought

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