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Lawyer guilty of ethics violation
Ronald Peacock must close law office for 91 days.
By TONY BRITT
tbritt@lakecityreporter.com
Lake City attorney Ronald Hardy Peacock was suspended for 91 days by the Florida Supreme Court for ethics violations. The suspension began last week and stems from a 2007 complaint by one of Peacock’s clients.
The Florida Supreme Court notified Peacock about the suspension on Tuesday, Nov. 4, giving him 30 days from the notification date to close out his practice and protect the interests of existing clients. Peacock is not allowed to accept new business or clients from the date the order is filed until he is reinstated.
Peacock, 55, is also a local radio personality on Power Country 102.1 FM where he is known as “Cousin Ron.” He worked with the former station general manager, Robert “Uncle Bob” Hendrickson, until Hendrickson’s death in October. Peacock, who is serving as the station’s acting general manager, had a law office at the radio station prior to Hendrickson’s death. Peacock was first admitted to the Florida Bar on Oct. 31, 1980.
According to documents from a Florida Freedom of Information Act request to the Florida Bar filed by the Lake City Reporter, the complaint filed against Peacock was made by Robert E. Sprague. Sprague hired Peacock as his attorney in a December 2004 wrongful death case that was filed in the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Duval County. The case was eventually dismissed for lack of prosecution.
Sprague initially sent the complaint to the Florida Bar and it was sent to the Third Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee on Aug. 17, 2007, to investigate probable cause ethics violations.
After probable cause ethics violations were found, a referee was assigned to the case, as a result of the Florida Bar’s investigation which yielded five alleged violations. The court referee in the proceedings was Tallahassee Circuit Court Judge Nikki Ann Clark. Peacock was represented by attorney Clifford Adams.
Peacock was charged with rule violations for competence, diligence, informing client of status of representation, duty to explain matters to clients and false statement of material fact.
“Mr. Peacock, you can’t represent somebody and not represent somebody at the same time,” Clark wrote in her decision. “I’m going to find that you did, indeed represent Mr. Sprague in he Fourth Circuit Court in Duval County. Your testimony is that you, out of sympathy, agreed to investigate for Mr. Sprague whether or not he had a cause of action. My finding is that you went well beyond simply investigating this case. You signed a retainer agreement with Mr. Sprague and had Mr. Sprague sign the retainer letter.”
Peacock was found not guilty on the charge of making a false statement of fact, however Clark found him guilty of the other four charges.
Peacock also had to pay $4,336 to the Florida Bar for costs associated with the investigation and to prosecute the case.
“The Florida Bar has proven by clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Peacock failed to do anything on the case,” Clark wrote. “Accordingly, Mr. Peacock failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in violation of 4-1.3, Rules regulating the Florida Bar. ... In conclusion, the (Florida) Bar has proven by clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Peacock lacked competence to handle this matter, did not diligently handle the matter, that is, by failing to inform Mr. Sprague of what was going on in the case. Mr. Peacock failed to explain matters to Mr. Sprague.”
Peacock was previously suspended in 1993 for making false oath. According to public records, he made false oath and intentionally failed to fully disclose finances in his own bankruptcy case. He was also charged with lying to a judge concerning the whereabouts of his witnesses. Peacock was suspended for 60 days for those violations and also had to pay for the costs of the investigation.
In a 1990 ethics violations case, the Florida Bar noted Peacock was not guilty of alleged ethics violations.
The Florida Supreme Court notified Peacock about the suspension on Tuesday, Nov. 4, giving him 30 days from the notification date to close out his practice and protect the interests of existing clients. Peacock is not allowed to accept new business or clients from the date the order is filed until he is reinstated.
Peacock, 55, is also a local radio personality on Power Country 102.1 FM where he is known as “Cousin Ron.” He worked with the former station general manager, Robert “Uncle Bob” Hendrickson, until Hendrickson’s death in October. Peacock, who is serving as the station’s acting general manager, had a law office at the radio station prior to Hendrickson’s death. Peacock was first admitted to the Florida Bar on Oct. 31, 1980.
According to documents from a Florida Freedom of Information Act request to the Florida Bar filed by the Lake City Reporter, the complaint filed against Peacock was made by Robert E. Sprague. Sprague hired Peacock as his attorney in a December 2004 wrongful death case that was filed in the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Duval County. The case was eventually dismissed for lack of prosecution.
Sprague initially sent the complaint to the Florida Bar and it was sent to the Third Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee on Aug. 17, 2007, to investigate probable cause ethics violations.
After probable cause ethics violations were found, a referee was assigned to the case, as a result of the Florida Bar’s investigation which yielded five alleged violations. The court referee in the proceedings was Tallahassee Circuit Court Judge Nikki Ann Clark. Peacock was represented by attorney Clifford Adams.
Peacock was charged with rule violations for competence, diligence, informing client of status of representation, duty to explain matters to clients and false statement of material fact.
“Mr. Peacock, you can’t represent somebody and not represent somebody at the same time,” Clark wrote in her decision. “I’m going to find that you did, indeed represent Mr. Sprague in he Fourth Circuit Court in Duval County. Your testimony is that you, out of sympathy, agreed to investigate for Mr. Sprague whether or not he had a cause of action. My finding is that you went well beyond simply investigating this case. You signed a retainer agreement with Mr. Sprague and had Mr. Sprague sign the retainer letter.”
Peacock was found not guilty on the charge of making a false statement of fact, however Clark found him guilty of the other four charges.
Peacock also had to pay $4,336 to the Florida Bar for costs associated with the investigation and to prosecute the case.
“The Florida Bar has proven by clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Peacock failed to do anything on the case,” Clark wrote. “Accordingly, Mr. Peacock failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in violation of 4-1.3, Rules regulating the Florida Bar. ... In conclusion, the (Florida) Bar has proven by clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Peacock lacked competence to handle this matter, did not diligently handle the matter, that is, by failing to inform Mr. Sprague of what was going on in the case. Mr. Peacock failed to explain matters to Mr. Sprague.”
Peacock was previously suspended in 1993 for making false oath. According to public records, he made false oath and intentionally failed to fully disclose finances in his own bankruptcy case. He was also charged with lying to a judge concerning the whereabouts of his witnesses. Peacock was suspended for 60 days for those violations and also had to pay for the costs of the investigation.
In a 1990 ethics violations case, the Florida Bar noted Peacock was not guilty of alleged ethics violations.
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Well there you go wrote on Dec 17, 2008 12:14 PM: