Vogel, In re

• Decision Date: 17 September 1982
• Docket Number: No. 56126,56126
• Citation: 92 Ill.2d 55,65 Ill.Dec. 30,440 N.E.2d 885
• Parties: , 65 Ill.Dec. 30 In re John Otto VOGEL, Attorney, Respondent.
• Court: Illinois Supreme Court

Page 885

440 N.E.2d 885

92 Ill.2d 55, 65 Ill.Dec. 30

In re John Otto VOGEL, Attorney, Respondent.

No. 56126.

Supreme Court of Illinois.

Sept. 17, 1982.

Jerome Larkin, Atty. Registration and Disciplinary Com'n, Chicago, Ill., for administrator.

John O. Vogel, Chicago, pro se.

UNDERWOOD, Justice:

Pursuant to our rules establishing the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (73 Ill.2d Rules 751 through 771), its administrator filed a complaint against respondent, John Otto Vogel. The complaint alleged that respondent had represented Arthur Hardisty from 1964 to 1976, and that during those years respondent was guilty of overreaching his client in violation of DR5-101(a) of the Illinois Code of Professional Responsibility (Illinois State Bar Association 1970). The Hearing Board agreed and recommended three months' suspension from the practice of law. The Review Board, however, found the complaint should be dismissed. We subsequently allowed the Administrator's motion to be permitted to file in this court exceptions to the Review Board's report. 73 Ill.2d R. 753(e).

The evidence established that respondent first became acquainted with Arthur Hardisty and his wife, Agnes, in 1964 when respondent had successfully represented Agnes in a criminal matter. In 1965 respondent drafted wills for both Hardistys, neither of whom included him as a beneficiary. Those wills apparently left nothing to any of the three Hardisty children, one of whom does not appear to have been acknowledged by Arthur. Agnes died in 1967. On September 4, 1968, respondent wrote Arthur Hardisty giving him respondent's new office address and telephone number and indicating a desire to meet him for lunch and discuss an addition to his will. They met shortly thereafter. Respondent testified that he and Russell Swanson, a Hardisty family friend, had been trying to effect a reconciliation between Arthur and his family, and that respondent had suggested Arthur leave something to the family in his will. The sons and Arthur did not have a good relationship, and respondent testified that he had understood that, because Agnes had owned a bar or been a bartender, Arthur's sons looked down on her and had not been in Arthur's house after their marriage. At the luncheon meeting Arthur gave respondent a memorandum prepared by Arthur, telling respondent, "That's what I want you to do." The handwritten memorandum provided, "you are to take ten thousand for yourself," and gave other directions, including "seeing that Christmas blanks [sic ] are put on our graves for five years" and putting the pets to sleep. A postscript following the signature stated "you are to look after my afairs [sic ] now and bill me later."

Respondent further testified that he told Arthur that, since respondent was a beneficiary, he could not prepare the will and would have to get another lawyer to do so. Subsequently a will and a trust instrument were drafted by Fredrick Henzi, a lawyer with whom respondent shared office space. Respondent testified that he made no suggestions to Arthur or Henzi regarding himself, but "had a pretty good idea" what was going into the will and trust. The trust, as executed on September 17, 1968, named attorney Henzi and the Gary-Wheaton bank as trustees. It was designated by the bank as trust No. 950, and its total corpus consisted of $10. Upon Arthur's death the pets were to be disposed of by respondent; a son, Albert, was to be paid up to $5,000 for work performed by him as indicated by a record, the location of which had been disclosed to respondent; and other directions similar to those in the original memorandum were given. The residue was to be divided equally between Russell Swanson and respondent.

The executed will, including funeral instructions, was left with respondent to be delivered by him to the executor. It specifically disinherited the children, appointed Russell Swanson as executor and respondent as his successor, directed that attorney Henzi be employed by the executor, provided for the payment of certain expenses, and devised and bequeathed the remainder of the property to the trustees to be handled as therein provided.

Respondent further testified that he managed, under what appears to have been a very informal arrangement, Arthur's residence property, which included several rental units. His compensation apparently was 10% of the rental collected by him. Respondent had on at least one occasion attempted to arrange a sale of this property for $100,000 with the objective of moving Arthur to West Virginia or Virginia, where he talked of having relatives. This idea was apparently prompted by the fact that Arthur was on one occasion, respondent said, found lying in the snow after drinking too much wine.

In 1973 respondent prepared for Arthur a will naming respondent executor and Russell Swanson successor, a reversal of their roles under the 1968 will. It was never executed. About the same time, respondent testified, Arthur became unhappy with Russell Swanson because of a drinking problem the latter was thought to have, and marital difficulties which had developed between the Swansons. Arthur, respondent said, wanted to change the terms of the trust and requested him to draft the changes. As executed, the amendment eliminated Albert Hardisty as a beneficiary, added $5,000 for Nancy Schramm, respondent's secretary, and substituted a $5,000 gift to Russell Swanson for the 50% of the residue originally given him; respondent became the sole residuary beneficiary. Respondent testified he had discussed with Arthur "in general" why he, as a beneficiary, should not draft the amendments and that Arthur should go to attorney Henzi, but Arthur had not wanted to do so. At that time respondent and Henzi were partners. After Arthur had executed the amendments respondent sent them to the trustee bank, which, he testified, thereafter lost them.

In 1974 a will prepared by attorney Gordon Bunge was executed by Arthur. It provided that, after payment of expenses the entire estate was to be equally divided among Russell Swanson, Jeanne L. Swanson, Albert Hardisty, Sr. (a son), and respondent and appointed the son executor with Jeanne Swanson as his successor. Respondent knew nothing of the execution of this will until June 1976, when Arthur told him he had destroyed this will by cutting it up with scissors.

On May 27, 1976, respondent testified, Jeanne Swanson brought Arthur to respondent's office. Arthur said he wanted to put the residence real estate in the trust. When respondent asked "why" he was told by Arthur that it was none of his business. Respondent did not tell Arthur he should consult independent counsel, and, because Fredrick Henzi was now a judge, respondent prepared and Arthur executed a deed conveying the property to the trust, together with an amendment of the trust terms. Besides updating the pet and cash provisions the amendment deleted from the trust all reference to former attorney Henzi and transferred the real estate to the trust.

On June 3, 1976, Arthur executed a will prepared by respondent which specifically disinherited the children, appointed respondent executor and Russell Swanson successor executor, directed that Carl Kuhn serve as attorney for the executor, indicated funeral instructions were in respondent's possession and that the pets were to be delivered to him, and gave all the residue to trust No. 950.

At the time of execution of this will, respondent stated that Arthur Hardisty was 84 years of age, suffering from a slight stroke, incontinent and using a urine bag, was in and out of the hospital, used a cane and "was going downhill" physically. Respondent testified that on June 3, 1976, he had a date with Arthur to take him grocery shopping and do some personal business, including paying his real estate taxes. When they finished, Arthur asked respondent to come to his home and look over some things, and there showed him the 1968 will. Respondent suggested deleting attorney Henzi's name. Arthur suggested substituting Carl Kuhn's name, and respondent called Mr. Kuhn, who agreed to serve as attorney for the executor but indicated in response to respondent's question whether "he was available for us to drop in and get a will executed" that he could not take care of it before the following day. Because Arthur wanted it done then, respondent testified, respondent called his secretary from the Hardisty home and told her to "pull out the copy of Mr. Hardisty's will and retype it substituting Mr. Kuhn's name for Fred Henzi's" as attorney for the executor. Shortly thereafter respondent and Arthur went to respondent's office, and the will was executed with employees of the insurance company which had purchased the office building from respondent serving as witness.

Respondent also testified that he became executor because in typing the 1976 will his secretary had mistakenly copied the unexecuted 1973 version rather than the 1968 will which respondent had intended. He had not noticed this and thought Russell Swanson was still executor as the 1968 will provided, instead of respondent, as provided in the unexecuted 1973 draft.

The trustee bank wrote respondent on June 16 informing him it did not have the 1973 amendment to trust No. 950, and suggested it be reexecuted. Respondent apparently knew of this earlier, since he testified that he had upbraided the bank personnel regarding the amendment's loss, the net result of which was to substantially reduce respondent's share of the estate. He also testified that his secretary, upon receiving the bank letter, redrafted the amendment, but that he never told Arthur that the bank had lost the amendment and the new draft was never executed.

Arthur died on June 21, 1976, and letters of administration were issued to a son, Albert; they were later revoked when the will was admitted to probate and respondent appointed executor. Suits were subsequently filed by...