Alcantara v De Vera

A.C. No. 5859

November 23, 2010
NATURE: Review of the Resolution of the Board of Governors of the IBP
finding the respondent liable for professional malpractice and gross
misconduct and recommended his disbarment
FACTS:
1. The respondent (Atty. Eduardo De Vera) is a member of the Bar and was
the former counsel of Rosario P. Mercado in a civil case filed in 1984 with the
Regional Trial Court of Davao City and an administrative case filed before the
Securities and Exchange Commission, Davao City Extension Office
2. Pursuant to a favorable decision, a writ of execution pending appeal was
issued in favor of Rosario P. Mercado. Herein respondent, as her legal
counsel, garnished the bank deposits of the defendant, but did not turn
over the proceeds to Rosario.
3. Rosario demanded respondent to turn over the proceeds of the
garnishment, but the latter refused claiming that he had paid part of the
money to the judge while the balance was his, as attorneys fees.
4. Rosario filed an administrative case against respondent.
5. IBP Board of Governors: Respondent is guilty of infidelity in the custody
and handling of clients funds and recommending to the Court his oneyear suspension from the practice of law.
6. Following the release of the aforesaid IBP Resolution, the respondent filed
a series of lawsuits against the Mercado family except George Mercado.
7. The respondent also instituted cases against the family corporation, the
corporations accountant and the judge who ruled against the reopening of
the case where respondent tried to collect the balance of his alleged fee from
Rosario
8. Later on, the respondent also filed cases against the chairman and
members of the IBP Board of Governors who voted to recommend his
suspension from the practice of law for one year.
9. Complainants allege that the respondent committed barratry, forum
shopping, exploitation of family problems, and use of intemperate language
when he filed several frivolous and unwarranted lawsuits against the
complainants and their family members, their lawyers, and the family

corporation. They maintain that the primary purpose of the cases is to

harass and to exact revenge for the one-year suspension from the
practice of law meted out by the IBP against the respondent. Thus, they
pray that the respondent be disbarred for malpractice and gross misconduct
under Section 27, Rule 138 of the Rules of Court
10. Respondent denied the claims. He denies he has committed barratry by
instigating or stirring up George Mercado to file lawsuits against the
complainants. He insists that the lawsuits that he and George filed against
the complainants were not harassment suits but were in fact filed in good
faith and were based on strong facts
11. Also, the respondent denies that he has engaged in forum shopping. He
argues that he was merely exhausting the remedies allowed by law and that
he was merely constrained to seek relief elsewhere by reason of the denial of
the trial court to reopen the civil case so he could justify his attorneys fees
12. Further, he denies that he had exploited the problems of his clients
family. He argues that the case that he and George Mercado filed against
the complainants arose from their perception of unlawful transgressions
committed by the latter for which they must be held accountable for the
public interest
ISSUE: Whether De Vera acts constitute as professional malpractice and
gross misconduct, thus he should be disbarred.
HELD: YES.
1. It is worth stressing that the practice of law is not a right but a
privilege bestowed by the State upon those who show that they
possess, and continue to possess, the qualifications required by law
for the conferment of such privilege. Membership in the bar is a
privilege burdened with conditions. A lawyer has the privilege
and right to practice law only during good behavior and can only be
deprived of it for misconduct ascertained and declared by judgment
of the court after opportunity to be heard has been afforded him.
Without invading any constitutional privilege or right, an attorneys
right to practice law may be resolved by a proceeding to suspend or
disbar him, based on conduct rendering him unfit to hold a license or
to exercise the duties and responsibilities of an attorney. It must be
understood that the purpose of suspending or disbarring an attorney
is to remove from the profession a person whose misconduct has
proved him unfit to be entrusted with the duties and responsibilities
belonging to an office of an attorney, and thus to protect the public
and those charged with the administration of justice, rather than to
punish the attorney. In Maligsa v. Cabanting, we explained that the

bar should maintain a high standard of legal proficiency as well as of

honesty and fair dealing. A lawyer brings honor to the legal
profession by faithfully performing his duties to society, to the bar, to
the courts and to his clients. To this end a member of the legal
profession should refrain from doing any act which might lessen in
any degree the confidence and trust reposed by the public in the
fidelity, honesty and integrity of the legal profession. An attorney
may be disbarred or suspended for any violation of his oath or of his
duties as an attorney and counselor, which include statutory grounds
enumerated in Section 27, Rule 138 of the Rules of Court.
2. In the present case, the respondent committed professional
malpractice and gross misconduct particularly in his acts against his
former clients after the issuance of the IBP Resolution suspending
him from the practice of law for one year. In summary, the
respondent filed against his former client, her family members, the
family corporation of his former client, the Chairman and members of
the Board of Governors of the IBP who issued the said Resolution,
the Regional Trial Court Judge in the case where his former client
received a favorable judgment, and the present counsel of his former
client, a total of twelve (12) different cases in various fora which
included the Securities and Exchange Commission; the Provincial
Prosecutors Office of Tagum, Davao; the Davao City Prosecutors
Office; the IBP-Commission on Bar Discipline; the Department of
Agrarian Reform; and the Supreme Court
3. In addition to the twelve (12) cases filed, the respondent also re-filed
cases which had previously been dismissed. The respondent filed six
criminal cases against members of the Mercado family separately
[xxx] all the aforementioned cases are re-filing of previously
dismissed cases.
4. Now, there is nothing ethically remiss in a lawyer who files numerous
cases in different fora, as long as he does so in good faith, in
accordance with the Rules, and without any ill-motive or purpose
other than to achieve justice and fairness. In the present case,
however, we find that the barrage of cases filed by the respondent
against his former client and others close to her was meant to
overwhelm said client and to show her that the respondent does not
fold easily after he was meted a penalty of one year suspension from
the practice of law.
5. The nature of the cases filed by the respondent, the fact of re-filing
them after being dismissed, the timing of the filing of cases, the fact
that the respondent was in conspiracy with a renegade member of
the complainants family, the defendants named in the cases and the

foul language used in the pleadings and motions all indicate that the
respondent was acting beyond the desire for justice and fairness.
His act of filing a barrage of cases appears to be an act of revenge
and hate driven by anger and frustration against his former client
who filed the disciplinary complaint against him for infidelity in the
custody of a clients funds.
6. The cases filed by the respondent against his former client involved
matters and information acquired by the respondent during the time
when he was still Rosarios counsel. Information as to the structure
and operations of the family corporation, private documents, and
other pertinent facts and figures used as basis or in support of the
cases filed by the respondent in pursuit of his malicious motives
were all acquired through the attorney-client relationship with herein
complainants. Such act is in direct violation of the Canons and will
not be tolerated by the Court.