Recent Decisions From the Louisiana Supreme Court

IN RE WILLIAM MAGEE (Covington), 2018-B-0383 (1/30/2019): The Court suspended the respondent for two years for creating three fictious quitclaim deeds, forging the name of the purported seller on the deeds, listing himself as buyer on the deeds, and filing the deeds into the public record. The respondent then used the fictious deeds to gain ownership of the properties in a default proceeding.

IN RE DANIEL E. BECNEL III (LaPlace), 2018-B-0848 (1/30/2019): The Court suspended the respondent for one year and one day for failing to disburse funds to a client and for mishandling his trust account.

IN RE FELIX DEJEAN IV (Baton Rouge), 2018-B-1333 (1/30/2019): The Court suspended the respondent for one year and one day for committing a battery on another attorney during a conference in a judge’s chambers.

IN RE ALICIA JOHNSON BUTLER (New Iberia), 2018-B-1472 (1/30/2019): The Court suspended the respondent for one year and one day, with all but six months deferred, for failing to communicate with her client, failing to promptly remit funds to her client and to third-party medical providers, and failing to place disputed funds into her trust account.

Deemed Admitted Matters (Louisiana Supreme Court Rule XIX, Section 11(E)(3)):

IN RE JENNIFER E. GAUBERT (New Orleans), 2018-B-1980 (1/19/2019): The Court suspended the respondent for one year and one day based upon her convictions for simple battery and criminal mischief.

Consent Discipline:

IN RE ELLA CORTLAND GOODYEAR (Abita Springs), 2018-B-2032 (1/28/2019): The Court suspended the respondent for one year and one day based upon her arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol.

IN RE LAUREN G. COLEMAN (Alexandria), 2018-B-2099 (2/11/2019): The Court suspended the respondent for one year and one day, fully deferred, for employing a disbarred attorney as a paralegal in her law firm.

IN RE CHRISTOPHER G. YOUNG (Baton Rouge), 2019-B-0006 (2/11/2019): The Court suspended the respondent for one year and one day, retroactive to the date of his interim suspension (9/28/18), based upon his guilty plea to accessory after the fact to interstate transmission of obscene and child pornography images.

IN RE AUBREY E. DENTON (Lafayette), 2019-B-0014 (2/11/2019): The Court suspended the respondent for one year and one day, fully deferred, for mishandling his trust account.

IN RE OSCAR AUGUSTO ARAUJO (Miami, FL), 2019-B-0007 (2/25/2019): The Court suspended the respondent for one year and one day, with all but thirty days deferred, for mismanaging his trust account and making a false statement to ODC during the investigation.

IN RE SEAN C. BRAZIL (New Orleans), 2019-B-0081 (2/25/2019): The Court disbarred the respondent, retroactive to the date of his interim suspension (6/15/2018), for submitting false and inflated billing records to his law firm.

Reciprocal Discipline Matters:

IN RE PHILIP MARTIN KLEINSMITH (Colorado Springs, CO), 2018-B-2010 (2/18/2019): The Court disbarred the respondent based upon an order of the Supreme Court of Colorado.

Reinstatement/Readmission Matters:

IN RE ARTHUR GILMORE, JR. (Monroe), 2018-OB-2092 (2/18/2019): The Court readmitted the petitioner to the practice of law following his disbarment.

Rehearing:

IN RE SALVADOR R. PERRICONE (Harahan), 2018-B-1233(12/5/2018): Rehearing denied.