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4/16/2017 A.C. No. 6484, June 16, 2015 - ADELITA B. LLUNAR, Complainant, v. ATTY. ROMULO RICAFORT, Respondent.

: JUNE 2015 - PHILIPPINE SUPREME

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PhilippineSupremeCourtJurisprudence>Year2015>June 2015Decisions>A.C.No.6484,June 16,2015
ADELITAB.LLUNAR,Complainant,v.ATTY.ROMULORICAFORT,Respondent.:

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A.C.No.6484,June16,2015ADELITAB.LLUNAR,Complainant,v.ATTY.ROMULORICAFORT,
Respondent.

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ENBANC

A.C.No.6484,June16,2015

ADELITAB.LLUNAR,Complainant,v.ATTY.ROMULORICAFORT,Respondent.

DECISION

PERCURIAM:

The present administrative case stemmed from the complaintaffidavit1


that Adelita B. Llunar
(complainant)filedagainstAtty.RomuloRicafort(respondent)forgrossandinexcusablenegligenceand
seriousmisconduct.

Antecedents

InSeptember2000,thecomplainant,asattorneyinfactofSeverinaBafiez,hiredtherespondenttofile
a case against father and son Ricardo and Ard Cervantes (Ard) for the recovery of a parcel of land
allegedly owned by the Banez family but was fraudulently registered under the name of Ricardo and
laterwastransferredtoArd.

The property, which Ard had mortgaged with the Rural Bank of Malilipot, Albay, was the subject of
foreclosure proceedings at the time the respondent was hired. The respondent received from the
complainant the following amounts: (a) P70,000.00 as partial payment of the redemption price of the
DebtKollectCompany,Inc. property(b)P19,000.00tocoverthefilingfeesand(c)P6,500.00asattorney'sfees.

Threeyearslater,thecomplainantlearnedthatnocaseinvolvingthesubjectpropertywaseverfiledby
the respondent with the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Legaspi City. Thus, the complainant demanded
thattherespondentreturntohertheamountofP95,000.00.

TherespondentrefusedtoreturnthewholeamountofP95,000.00tothecomplainant.Hearguedthata
complaint2forannulmentoftitleagainstArdCervanteshadactuallybeenfiledincourt,thoughnotby
him,butbyanotherlawyer,Atty.EdgarM.Abitria.Thus,hewaswillingtoreturnonlywhatwasleftof
theP95,000.00afterdeductingtherefromtheP50,000.00thathepaidtoAtty.Abitriaasacceptancefee
forhandlingthecase.

The complainant refused to recognize the complaint for annulment of title filed by Atty. Abitria and
claimedthatshehadnoknowledgeofAtty.Abitria'sengagementascounsel.Besides,thecomplaintwas
filed three (3) years late and the property could no longer be redeemed from the bank. Also, the
complainant discovered that the respondent had been suspended indefinitely from the practice of law
since May 29, 2002, pursuant to this Court's decision in Administrative Case No. 5054,3 which the
complainantsuspectedwasthereasonanotherlawyer,andnottherespondent,filedthecomplaintfor
annulmentoftitleincourt.

ChanRoblesIntellectualProperty In a resolution4 dated February 2, 2005, the Court referred the case to the Integrated Bar of the
Philippines(IBP)forinvestigation,report,andrecommendation.
Division
In a report5 dated May 22, 2009, IBP Investigating Commissioner Cecilio C. Villanueva found the

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4/16/2017 A.C. No. 6484, June 16, 2015 - ADELITA B. LLUNAR, Complainant, v. ATTY. ROMULO RICAFORT, Respondent. : JUNE 2015 - PHILIPPINE SUPREME
respondent to have been grossly negligent in handling the complainant's case and to have gravely
abusedthetrustandconfidencereposedinhimbythecomplainant,thereby,violatingCanons156and
17,7andRules1.01,816.03,918.03,10and18.0411oftheCodeofProfessionalResponsibility(CPR).

Also,theInvestigatingCommissionerfoundtherespondenttohaveerredinnotinforminghisclientthat
he was under indefinite suspension from the practice of law. Due to these infractions, Commissioner
Villanuevarecommendedthattherespondentremainsuspendedindefinitelyfromthepracticeoflaw.

In Resolution No. XIX2011224 dated May 14, 2011, the IBP Board of Governors agreed with the
Investigating Commissioner's findings on the respondent's liability but modified the recommended
penalty from indefinite suspension to disbarment.12 It also ordered the respondent to return to the
complainant the amount of P95,000.00 within thirty (30) days from notice. The respondent moved for
reconsideration.

Inhismotionforreconsideration,13therespondentarguedthathisreferralofthecomplainant'scaseto
Atty.Abitriawasactuallywiththecomplainant'sknowledgeandconsentandthathepaidAtty.Abitria
P50,000.00 for accepting the case. These facts were confirmed by Atty. Abitria in an affidavit14 dated
November 17, 2004, but were alleged to have been overlooked by Commissioner Villanueva in his
report. The IBP Board of Governors, in Resolution No. XX2013710 dated June 21, 2013, denied the
respondent'smotionforreconsideration.15 chanrobleslaw

OurRuling

We find the respondent guilty of Grave Misconduct in his dealings with his client and in
engaginginthepracticeoflawwhileunderindefinitesuspension,andthusimposeuponhim
theultimatepenaltyofDISBARMENT.

Therespondentinthiscasecommittedseveralinfractionsmakinghimliableforgravemisconduct.First,
therespondentdidnotexertduediligenceinhandlingthecomplainant'scase.Hefailedtoactpromptly
inredeemingthecomplainant'spropertywithintheperiodofredemption.Whatisworseisthedelayof
threeyearsbeforeacomplainttorecoverthepropertywasactuallyfiledincourt.Therespondentclearly
dillydalliedonthecomplainant'scaseandwastedprecioustimeandopportunitythatwerethenreadily
availabletorecoverthecomplainant'sproperty.Underthesefacts,therespondentviolatedRule18.03
of the Code of Professional Responsibility (CPR), which states that "a lawyer shall not neglect a legal
matterentrustedtohim,andhisnegligenceinconnectiontherewithshallrenderhimliable."

Second,therespondentfailedtoreturn,upondemand,theamountsgiventohimbythecomplainantfor
handlingthelatter'scase.Onthreeseparateoccasions,therespondentreceivedfromthecomplainant
the amounts of P19,000.00, P70,000.00, and P6,500.00 for purposes of redeeming the mortgaged
property from the bank and filing the necessary civil case/s against Ard Cervantes. The complainant
approachedtherespondentseveraltimesthereaftertofollowuponthecase/stobefiledsupposedlyby
therespondentwho,inturn,reassuredherthatactionsonhercasehadbeentaken.

Afterthecomplainantdiscoveredthreeyearslaterthattherespondenthadnotfiledanycaseincourt,
she demanded that the respondent return the amount of P95,000.00, but her demand was left
unheeded. The respondent later promised to pay her, but until now, no payment of any amount has
been made. These facts confirm that the respondent violated Canon 16 of the CPR, which mandates
every lawyer to "hold in trust all moneys and properties of his client that may come into his
possession"16andto"accountforallmoneyorpropertycollectedorreceivedfororfromtheclient."17
Inaddition,alawyer'sfailuretoreturnupondemandthefundsorpropertyheholdsforhisclientgives
rise to the presumption that he has appropriated these funds or property for his own use to the
prejudiceof,andinviolationofthetrustreposedinhimbyhisclient.18 chanrobleslaw


Third, the respondent committed dishonesty by not being forthright with the complainant that he was
underindefinitesuspensionfromthepracticeoflaw.Therespondentshouldhavedisclosedthisfactat
June-2015 Jurisprudence the time he was approached by the complainant for his services. Canon 15 of the CPR states that "a
lawyer shall observe candor, fairness and loyalty in all his dealings and transactions with his clients."
The respondent lacked the candor expected of him as a member of the Bar when he accepted the
A.C. No. 720, June 17, 2015 FRANCISCO CAOILE,
complainant'scasedespiteknowingthathecouldnotandshouldnotpracticelaw.
Complainant, v. ATTY. MARCELINO MACARAEG,
Respondent.
Lastly,therespondentwaseffectivelyinthepracticeoflawdespitetheindefinitesuspensionimposedon
A.C. No. 6681, June 17, 2015 VICTOR D. DE LOS him.Thisinfractioninfinitelyaggravatestheoffenseshecommitted.Basedontheabovefactsalone,the
SANTOS II, Complainant, v. ATTY. NESTOR C. penalty of suspension for five (5) years from the practice of law would have been justified, but the
BARBOSA,Respondents. respondentisnotanordinaryviolatoroftheprofession'sethicalrulesheisarepeatviolatorofthese
rules. In Nuez v. Atty. Ricafort,19 we had adjudged the respondent liable for grave misconduct in
G.R. No. 189255, June 17, 2015 JESUS G. REYES, failing to turn over the proceeds of the sale of a property owned by his client and in issuing bounced
Petitioner, v. GLAUCOMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, checks to satisfy the alias writ of execution issued by the court in the case for violation of Batas
INC.,EYEREFERRALCENTERANDMANUELB.AGULTO, PambansaBig.22filedagainsthimbyhisclient.Wethensuspendedhimindefinitelyfromthepractice
Respondent.
oflawapenaltyshortofdisbarment.Underhiscurrentliabilitywhichisnodifferentincharacterfrom
G.R. No. 200942, June 16, 2015 PEOPLE OF THE hispreviousoffensewehavenootherwaybuttoproceedtodecreehisdisbarment.Hehasbecome
PHILIPPINES, PlaintiffAppellee, v. JORIE WAHIMAN Y completelyunworthyofmembershipinourhonorableprofession.
RAYOS,AccusedAppellant.
With respect to the amount to be returned to the complainant, we agree with the IBP that the
G.R. No. 196278, June 17, 2015 CE CASECNAN respondent should return the whole amount of P95,000.00, without deductions, regardless of
WATERANDENERGYCOMPANY,INC.,Petitioner,v.THE whethertheengagementofAtty.Abitriaascounselwaswiththecomplainant'sknowledgeandconsent.
PROVINCE OF NUEVA ECIJA, THE OFFICE OF THE
PROVINCIAL ASSESSOR OF NUEVA ECIJA, AND THE In the first place, the hiring of Atty. Abitria would not have been necessary had the respondent been
OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL TREASURER OF NUEVA honest and diligent in handling the complainant's case from the start. The complainant should not be
ECIJA, AS REPRESENTED BY HON. AURELIO UMALI, burdened with the expense of hiring another lawyer to perform the services that the respondent was
HON. FLORANTE FAJARDO AND HON. EDILBERTO hiredtodo,especiallyinthiscasewheretherewasaninexcusablenondeliveryofsuchservices.
PANCHO, RESPECTIVELY, OR THEIR LAWFUL
SUCCESSORS, RESPONDENTS, NATIONAL IRRIGATION
ADMINISTRATION AND DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE, AS WHEREFORE,respondentAtty.RomuloRicafortisherebyDISBARREDfromthepracticeoflawandhis
NECESSARYPARTIES. name REMOVED from the Roll of Attorneys, effective immediately upon his receipt of this Decision.
Also,heisORDEREDtoRETURNtheamountofP95,000.00tocomplainantAdelitaB.Llunar,within
G.R. No. 196707, June 17, 2015 SPOUSES NILO thirty(30)daysfromnoticeofthisDecision.
ANDERLINDAMERCADO,Petitioners,v.LANDBANKOF
THEPHILIPPINES,Respondent. LetacopyofthisDecisionbeattachedtotherespondent'spersonalrecordandfurnishedtheOfficeof
the Bar Confidant, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and the Office of the Court Administrator for
A.C. No. 5067, June 29, 2015 CORAZON M. circulation to all courts in the country. This Decision should likewise be posted on the Supreme Court
DALUPAN, Complainant, v. ATTY. GLENN C. GACOTT, websitefortheinformationofthegeneralpublic.
Respondent.
SOORDERED.
G.R. No. 188069, June 17, 2015 REYNALDO P.
cralawlawlibrary

BASCARA, Petitioner, v. SHERIFF ROLANDO G. JAVIER


ANDEVANGELINEPANGILINAN,Respondent.
Sereno, C. J., Carpio, Velasco, Jr., LeonardoDe Castro, Brion, Bersamin, Del Castillo, Villarama, Jr.,
Perez,Mendoza,Reyes,PerlasBernabe,andJardeleza,JJ.,concur.
G.R. No. 194129, June 15, 2015 PO1 CRISPIN Peralta,andLeonen,JJ.,onofficialleave.
OCAMPO Y SANTOS, Petitioner, v. PEOPLE OF THE
PHILIPPINES,Respondent. Endnotes:

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