Manila – The Supreme Court (SC) has suspended lawyer Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon – legal counsel of Peter Joemel Advincula alias “Bikoy” – from practicing his profession for his “arrogant, malicious and insulting” language against a fellow lawyer and his client in 2009.
Based on the ruling released to the media on Saturday, Gadon was found guilty of breaching his oath as a lawyer and of culpable violation of code of ethics of the legal profession.
The complaint against Gadon stemmed from a disbarment case filed by dermatologist Helen Joselina Mendoza on Aug. 3, 2009 against Gadon, whom she accused of violating a lawyer’s oath and the Code of Professional Responsibility.
The incident originated when a patient of Mendoza’s complained about her for prescribing her a medicine she was allergic to.
Disappointed by how the doctor handled the situation, the patient filed a complaint against with Clinica Manila, where Mendoza’s clinic rented a space under an arrangement with Ambulatory Health Care Institute Inc.
Mendoza was “unilaterally suspended” by Gadon “without authorization from the board of directors and without just cause.” Gadon was AHCII’s corporate secretary and vice president, while Mendoza was a stock holder in the same company.
The doctor was eventually allowed back in at her clinic but under reduced hours. When she complained about it, Gadon allegedly responded in an insulting manner and used “intemperate language.”
According to Mendoza, Gadon threatened to make the dermatologist’s life in her clinic unproductive, saying that her and her lawyer’s legal actions “demonstrated shortsighted analytical thinking.”
“The board would like to be working and [be] associated with people more intelligent who could weight things to its proper perspective,” Gadon further said in his letter.
An Integrated Bar of the Philippines officer eventually recommended suspension of Gadon for four months, which the IBP Board of Governors in turn approved but lowered the suspension period to three months.
“Atty. Gadon has been weighed by the exacting standards of the legal profession and has been found wanting,” read the SC resolution. “Gadon should be more circumspect in his actions and should control himself better in times of emotional outbursts.”
“He should refrain from using abusive and intemperate language which displays arrogance towards the legal system and his colleagues,” the high court added.
The SC also chided on Gadon for “putting the Philippine justice system in a bad light” when he described it as “slow” and for insinuating that cases are won “based on the abundance of resources.”
“In the instant case, it is clear that Atty. Gadon put the whole judicial system in bad light after he described the use of legal remedies as slow and requires a lot of resources,” the SC said.
“Repetition of his act or a similar act in the future would be dealt with more severely,” it added.
Meanwhile, Gadon said on Sunday that he will file a motion for reconsideration with regards to the SC’s verdict./PN
