Appellate Decisions
| Jurisdiction | Kansas,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 89 No. 4 Pg. 55 |
| Pages | 55 |
| Publication year | 2020 |
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KANSAS STATE SUPREME COURT
ATTORNEY DISCIPLINE
TWO-YEAR SUSPENSION
IN RE LAUREL R. KUPKA
NO. 122,053 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020
FACTS: A hearing panel determined that Kupka violated KRPC 1.1 (competence); 1.3 (diligence); 1.4(a) and (b) (communication); 4.1(a) (truthfulness in statements to others); 8.4(c) (engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation); 8.4(d) (engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice); and 8.4(g) (engaging in conduct adversely reflecting on lawyer's fitness to practice law). The charges arose after Kupka expanded her law practice to include domestic cases while also taking on extra duties after other attorneys at the firm resigned. Kupka's workload grew even heavier around the time her first child was born, and she lost administrative support. The heavy workload, combined with a lack of any support, resulted in Kupka feeling anxious and depressed. As those conditions worsened, Kupka failed to adequately represent clients. She did not file things despite saying that she did, she altered documents in an attempt to make them look file-stamped, and she falsified judge's signatures. Kupka also failed to communicate with clients, and when she did speak with them, she lied about the status of their cases.
HEARING PANEL: Kupka self-reported her misconduct, in addition to another complaint being filed. She fully cooperated and admitted to the misconduct. The hearing panel acknowledged that Kupka engaged in dishonest conduct by cutting and pasting file stamps onto documents and forging clerk and judge signatures. But her actions were driven by an overwhelming workload, a lack of supervision or assistance, and depression. She fully admitted her misconduct and cooperated with the disciplinary process. The disciplinary administrator asked for a two-year suspension, and that the suspension be suspended after one year so that Kupka could complete a one-year term of probation. Kupka asked that she be allowed to continue practicing under the terms of a probation plan. The hearing panel, however, reiterated its position that dishonesty cannot be corrected by probation alone. The hearing panel recommended that Kupka be suspended for two years, but that she be returned to active practice after serving six months of the suspension, with a two-year term of probation to follow.
HELD: The panel's factual findings and conclusions of law were deemed admitted. The court agreed that a two-year suspension was the appropriate discipline. Kupka will be allowed to apply for reinstatement after completing nine months of the suspension. A minority of the court would have required a longer period of suspension before applying for reinstatement.
ORDER OF DISBARMENT
IN RE BRENT E. MAYES
NO. 27,058 - MARCH 18, 2020
FACTS: In a letter submitted to the Clerk of the Appellate Courts, Brent E. Mayes voluntarily surrendered his license to practice law in Kansas. At the time of surrender, a complaint was pending. Mr. Mayes self-reported violations of KRPC 1.1 (competence), 1.4(a) (communication), 1.8(e) (conflict of interest), and 8.4(c) (misconduct).
HELD: The court accepted Mr. Mayes's surrender and he is ordered disbarred.
TWO-YEAR SUSPENSION
IN RE DANIEL VINCENT SAVILLE
NO. 121,050 – MARCH 6, 2020
FACTS: Saville stipulated that he violated KRPC 1.7(a) (2) (conflict of interest). A hearing panel found that Saville also violated KRPC 1.8(e) (providing financial assistance to client); 3.4(c) (fairness to opposing party and counsel); and 8.4(d) (engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice). Saville engaged in a sexual relationship with a client for over eight years; during the relationship Saville took nude photographs and videos of the client. He also provided her with financial assistance. When the client was charged with a felony, Saville wrote a fee agreement which contemplated that he would represent her for free as long as she did not get back together with a boyfriend.
HEARING PANEL: The hearing panel found numerous conflicts of interest in Saville's representation of his client. He had a prior disciplinary history after being convicted of possession of drug paraphernalia, and there was a lengthy, on-going pattern of misconduct. The panel did acknowledge mitigating factors, including Saville's history of drug use and emotional problems, and his cooperation with the disciplinary process. The disciplinary administrator's office suggested discipline of a one-year suspension. Saville requested that he be allowed to continue to practice, subject to the terms of his proposed probation plan. The hearing panel believed that probation was not appropriate for the rule violations in this case. Ultimately, the hearing panel recommended a sixmonth term of suspension with the requirement that Saville undergo a reinstatement hearing before being allowed to practice again.
HELD: Because it was not properly preserved, the Court makes no finding as to whether an attorney's payment of bail for a client is a per se violation of Rule 1.8(e). In this case, the undisputed facts show that Saville violated Rule 1.8(e). There was also sufficient evidence that Saville violated Rules 3.4(c) and 8.4(d) by speaking with a sequestered witness. After considering the recommended discipline and noting that Saville refused to accept responsibility of some of the disciplinary counts, a majority of the Court imposed discipline of a two-year suspension from the practice of law. Saville must undergo a reinstatement hearing before returning to practice. A minority of the Court would have imposed the one-year suspension requested by the disciplinary administrator's office.
CRIMINAL
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW - CRIMINAL LAW—CRIMINAL PROCEDURE—JURY INSTRUCTIONS - PROSECUTORS - SENTENCES
STATE V. BECKER
FORD DISTRICT COURT - AFFIRMED IN PART, VACATED IN PART
NO. 118,235 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020
FACTS: On evidence - including Becker's confession, jury found him guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. Sentence included a Hard 25 life prison term and lifetime postrelease supervision. On appeal, he claimed prosecutor's comments during closing argument regarding plea deals taken by codefendants was error. Becker also claimed the district court erred in failing to instruct jury on lesser included crimes, and on voluntary intoxication. He also claimed for first time that failure to instruct on lesser included crimes violated his constitutional rights to due process and jury trial. He claimed cumulative error denied him a fair trial, and claimed the district court erred in ordering lifetime postrelease supervision.
ISSUES: (1) Prosecutorial error; (2) jury instructions - lesser included offenses; (3) Constitutional claims; (4) jury instruction - voluntary intoxication; (5) cumulative error; (6) sentencing
HELD: Prosecutor's comments did not fall outside wide latitude afforded prosecutors, and was not an attempt to obtain a conviction in a manner that offended Becker's right to a fair trial. Taken in context, prosecutor's comments did not direct jury to ignore the plea agreements or to give them no weight in determining witness credibility. Instead, prosecutor was rebutting attacks in defense counsel's closing argument regarding a codefendant's favorable plea agreement.
District court did not commit reversible error under K.S.A. 2018 Supp. 22-3414 by failing to instruct jury on lesser included offenses of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. Both instructions would have been legally appropriate. Even if error is assumed - without deciding - that a second-degree intentional murder instruction was factually appropriate, the error was harmless under facts in this case. And no sudden quarrel factually supported an instruction for voluntary manslaughter.
Court considers Becker's newly raised constitutional claims. Consistent with Beck v. Alabama, 447 U.S. 625 (1980), and State v. Love, 305 Kan. 716 (2017), no merit to Becker's claim that the lack of a lesser included alternative required jury to render an all-or-nothing verdict in violation of Becker's due process rights. Also, based on Love and a 6th Circuit Court of Appeals case, district court did not preempt function of jury in violation of Becker's right to a jury trial.
Under facts in this case, district court did not err in failing to instruct jury on voluntary intoxication. Evidence viewed in light most favorable to Becker establishes methamphetamine consumption but not intoxication to impair his ability to form the requisite intent. Nor did parents' unsworn statements at sentencing hearing establish a level of impairment at time of the crime that would have warranted a voluntary intoxication instruction.
No cumulative error in trial having only one assumed harmless error.
Sentencing court's order of lifetime postrelease supervision is vacated. District court has no authority to order a term of postrelase supervision in conjunction with an off-grid, indeterminate life sentence.
STATUTES: K.S.A. 2018 SUPP...
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