Case Number(s): 11-O-17270
In the Matter of: Craig Lee Henderson, Bar # 194953, A Member of the State Bar of California, (Respondent).
Counsel For The State Bar: Christine Souhada, Deputy Trial Counsel
180 Howard Street, 7th ft.
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 538-2183
Bar #228256
Counsel for Respondent: In Pro Per Respondent
Craig Lee Henderson
5134 Archcrest Way
Sacramento, CA 95835
Bar # 19495
Submitted to: Settlement Judge at State Bar Court Clerk’s Office San Francisco
Filed: June 12, 2012
<<not>> checked. PREVIOUS STIPULATION REJECTED
Note: All information required by this form and any additional information which cannot be provided in the space provided, must be set forth in an attachment to this stipulation under specific headings, e.g., "Facts," "Dismissals," "Conclusions of Law," "Supporting Authority," etc.
1. Respondent is a member of the State Bar of California, admitted May 26, 1998.
2. The parties agree to be bound by the factual stipulations contained herein even if conclusions of law or disposition are rejected or changed by the Supreme Court.
3. All investigations or proceedings listed by case number in the caption of this stipulation are entirely resolved by this stipulation and are deemed consolidated. Dismissed charge(s)/count(s) are listed under "Dismissals." The stipulation consists of 9 pages, not including the order.
4. A statement of acts or omissions acknowledged by Respondent as cause or causes for discipline is included under "Facts."
5. Conclusions of law, drawn from and specifically referring to the facts are also included under "Conclusions of Law".
6. The parties must include supporting authority for the recommended level of discipline under the heading "Supporting Authority."
7. No more than 30 days prior to the filing of this stipulation, Respondent has been advised in writing of any pending investigation/proceeding not resolved by this stipulation, except for criminal investigations.
8. Payment of Disciplinary Costs-Respondent acknowledges the provisions of Bus. & Prof. Code §§6086.10 & 6140.7. (Check one option only):
<<not>> checked. Costs are added to membership fee for calendar year following effective date of discipline (public reproval).
checked. Case ineligible for costs (private reproval).
<<not>> checked. Costs are to be paid in equal amounts prior to February 1 for the following membership years: **. (Hardship, special circumstances or other good cause per rule 5.132, Rules of Procedure.) If Respondent fails to pay any installment as described above, or as may be modified by the State Bar Court, the remaining balance is due and payable immediately.
<<not>> checked. Costs are waived in part as set forth in a separate attachment entitled "Partial Waiver of Costs".
<<not>> checked. Costs are entirely waived.
9. The parties understand that:
<<not>> checked. (a) A private reproval imposed on a respondent as a result of a stipulation approved by the Court prior to initiation of a State Bar Court proceeding is part of the respondent’s official State Bar membership records, but is not disclosed in response to public inquiries and is not reported on the State Bar’s web page. The record of the proceeding in which such a private reproval was imposed is not available to the public except as part of the record of any subsequent proceeding in which it is introduced as evidence of a prior record of discipline under the Rules of Procedure of the State Bar.
checked. (b) A private reproval imposed on a respondent after initiation of a State Bar Court proceeding is part of the respondent’s official State Bar Membership records, is disclosed in response to public inquiries and is reported as a record of public discipline on the State Bar’s web page.
<<not>> checked. (c) A public reproval imposed on a respondent is publicly available as part of the respondent’s official State Bar membership records, is disclosed in response to public inquiries and is reported as a record of public discipline on the State Bar’s web page.
Respondent has no prior record of discipline since he was admitted in 1998.
Further, although respondent initially failed to cooperate in the State Bar’s investigation resulting in the 6068(l) violation described herein; after charges were filed against respondent, he began cooperating by collecting information and documents related to the matter being investigated by the State Bar from the New York courts, as well as others involved. Normally, this would not warrant mitigation, however, it should be noted that in this particular case, the matter being investigated was almost 20 years old and documents were difficult to obtain. Respondent, through multiple communications with the court clerk(s), was able to obtain additional documents which had not been obtained previously.
IN THE MATTER OF: Craig Lee Henderson
CASE NUMBER(S): 11-0-17270
FACTS AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW.
Respondent admits that the following facts arc true and that he is culpable of violations of the specified statutes and/or Rules of Professional Conduct.
Case NO. 11-O-17270 (State Bar Investigation)
FACTS:
1. On September 9, 2011, the State Bar opened an investigation into case no. 11-O-17270.
2. On December 8, 2011, a State Bar investigator mailed a letter to respondent regarding respondent’s conduct in the matter being investigated as case no. 11-O-17270. This letter re, quested that respondent respond in writing to specified allegations of misconduct being investigated by the State Bar.
3. Respondent received the letter but did not provide a written response or otherwise cooperate in the State Bar’s investigation.
CONCLUSIONS OF LAW:
4. By failing to respond to the State Bar investigator’s December 8, 2011 letter, Respondent failed to cooperate and participate in a disciplinary investigation against him in willful violation of Business and Professions Code, section 60680).
PENDING PROCEEDINGS.
The disclosure date referred to, on page 2, paragraph A(7), was May 30, 2012.
STATE BAR ETHICS SCHOOL.
Because respondent has agreed to attend State Bar Ethics School as part of this stipulation, respondent may receive Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit upon the satisfactory completion of State Bar Ethics School.
AUTHORITIES SUPPORTING DISCIPLINE.
A violation of Business and Professions Code, section 6068(i) is covered by standard 2,6, which reads:
2.6 OFFENSES INVOLVING OTHER SPECIFIED SECTIONS OF THE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE
Culpability of a member of a violation of any of the following provisions of the Business and Professions Code shall result in disbarment or suspension depending on the gravity of the offense or the harm, if any, to the victim, with due regard to the purposes of imposing discipline set forth in standard 1.3:
(a)Sections 6067 and 6068;
(b)Sections 6103 through 6105;
(c)Section 6106. I;
(d)Sections 6125 and 6126;
(e)Sections 6128 through 6130; or
(f)Sections 6151 through 6153
However, standard 1.6(b) states "The appropriate sanction shall be the sanction imposed unless: ... (ii) Mitigating circumstances are found to surround the particular act of misconduct found or acknowledged and the net effect of those mitigating circumstances, by themselves and in balance with any aggravating circumstances found, demonstrates that the purposes of imposing sanctions set forth in standard !.3 will be properly fulfilled if a lesser degree of sanction is imposed. In that case, a lesser degree of sanction than the appropriate sanction shall be imposed or recommended."
In this case, respondent has practiced 16 years with no prior record of discipline and cooperated post-filing as described above.
Further, despite standard 2.6, case law does not support disbarment or suspension for a single abberational violation of Business and Professions Code, section 6068(i) by an attorney with no prior record of discipline in 14 years of practice who subsequently cooperated. Although a case directly on point was not able to be found, two cases can be analogized:
In the Matter of Respondent Y (Rev. Dept. 1998) 3 Cal. State Bar Ct. Rptr. 862 involved a different but analogous subsection of section 6068: subsection(o). Subsections (o) and (i) both involve an attorney’s duty to communicate and cooperate with the State Bar before charges have been brought but at a time when the state bar is investigating or may choose to investigate a member’s conduct. The review department found that the attorney violated not only 6068(o) [failure to report a sanction], but also 6103 [failure to pay the sanction]. Despite the additional 6103 charge the review department recommended only a private reproval citing to the attorney’s lack of prior discipline and the "narrow" violations.
In the Matter of Respondent C (Rev. Dept. 1991) 1 Ca. State Bar Ct. Rptr. 439 involved another analogous subsection of 6068: subsection (m) (however, in this case, the court found a violation of the common law duty to communicate/6068(a) violation as the misconduct occurred before 60680n) was effective). The attorney, who had practiced for 30 years without prior discipline, committed only a single failure to communicate. The court recommended an admonition.
DISMISSALS.
After the filing of the Notice of Disciplinary Charges in this matter, additional information and documents have been obtained by the State Bar. The parties respectfully request the Court to dismiss the following alleged violations in the interest of justice:
Case Number 11-O-17270 Count 1
Alleged Violation Business and Professions Code, section 6106
11-O-17270 1 Business and Professions Code, section 6106
Case Number(s): 11-O-17270
In the Matter of: Craig Lee Henderson
By their signatures below, the parties and their counsel, as applicable, signify their agreement with each of the recitation and each of the terms and conditions of this Stipulation Re Facts, Conclusions of Law and Disposition.
Signed by: Craig Lee Henderson and Christine Souhrada
Respondent: Craig Lee Henderson
Date: 6/11/12
Respondent’s Counsel:
Date:
Deputy Trial Counsel: Christine Souhrada
Case Number(s): 11-O-17270
In the Matter of: Craig Lee Henderson
Finding the stipulation to be fair to the parties and that it adequately protects the public, IT IS ORDERED that the requested dismissal of counts/charges, if any, is GRANTED without prejudice, and:
checked. The stipulated facts and disposition are APPROVED AND THE REPROVAL IMPOSED.
<<not>> checked. The stipulated facts and disposition are APPROVED AS MODIFIED as set forth below, and the REPROVAL IMPOSED.
<<not>> checked. All court dates in the Hearing Department are vacated.
The parties are bound by the stipulation as approved unless: 1) a motion to withdraw or modify the stipulation, filed within 15 days after service of this order, is granted; or 2) this court modifies or further modifies the approved stipulation. (See rule 5.58 (E) & (F), Rules of Procedure.) Otherwise the stipulation shall be effective 15 days after service of this order.
Failure to comply with any conditions attached to this reproval man constitute cause for a separate proceeding for willful breach of rule 1-110, Rules of Professional Conduct.
Signed by:
Judge of the State Bar Court: Patricia Mc Elroy
[Rules Proc. of State Bar; Rule 5.27(B); Code Civ. Proc., § 1013a(4)]
I am a Case Administrator of the State Bar Court of California. I am over the age of eighteen and not a party to the within proceeding. Pursuant to standard court practice, in the City and County of Los Angeles, on January 24, 2012, I deposited a true copy of the following document(s):
STIPULATION RE FACTS, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND DISPOSITION AND
ORDER APPROVING
in a sealed envelope for collection and mailing on that date as follows:
checked. by first-class mail, with postage thereon fully prepaid, through the United States Postal Service at Los Angeles, California, addressed as follows:
CRAIG L. HENDERSON
5134 ARCHCREST WAY
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA 95835
COURTESY COPY TO:
CRAIG L. HENDERSON
5134 ARCHCREST WAY
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA 95835
checked. by interoffice mail through a facility regularly maintained by the State Bar of California addressed as follows:
CHRISTINE A. SOUHRADA, Enforcemnt, San Francisco
I hereby certify that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed in San Francisco California, on June 12 , 2012.
Signed by:
Mazie Yip
Case Administrator
State Bar Court