In re Aldridge
In re Aldridge
Opinion of the Court
This matter is before the Court on Respondent Dan A. Aldridge, Jr.’s Petition for Voluntary Surrender of License, filed pursuant to
In the petition, Aldridge, who has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 1975, admits that he failed to account for money plus interest he held in a fiduciary capacity. In response to the allegations set forth in State Disciplinary Board Docket No. 4081, Aldridge admits that in November 1999 he received $5,000 from a client who deposited this money with him with the expectation of receiving 20 percent interest over a 90-day term on her investment. At the conclusion of the 90-day investment period, however, Aldridge failed to properly account to the client for her investment and subsequently sent her a check which was returned for insufficient funds. Although he ultimately paid the client $6,750 on or about September 6, 2000, he admittedly owes her additional interest on her investment which has not yet been paid. As for the allegations set forth in State Disciplinary Board Docket No. 4082, Aldridge admits that in November 1992 he received $85,000 in a fiduciary capacity from another client who deposited this money with Aldridge with the expectation of receiving 20 percent annual interest payments. Beginning in 1995, Aldridge failed to properly account for the interest earned on the $85,000 investment and, further, he provided the client with two interest checks which were returned for insufficient funds. Despite a demand in September 1999 that he return the original $85,000 investment along with all earned interest, Aldridge has still not repaid the money, nor does his petition make any provision for restitution.
We agree with the special master and the State Bar that, under the circumstances presented, disbarment is the appropriate discipline for Aldridge’s admitted violations of Standard 65 (A) of Bar Rule 4-102 (d). We note that any mitigating factors, including Aldridge’s lack of a prior disciplinary record and his cooperative attitude toward these disciplinary proceedings, are greatly outweighed
Voluntary surrender of license accepted.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN THE MATTER OF DAN A. ALDRIDGE, JR.
- Status
- Published