By Jeffrey Damicog
Lawyer Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon has decided to voluntarily start this Thursday (October 24) the three-month suspension slapped by the Supreme Court (SC) against him even though he has not yet received the official order.
Atty. Larry Gadon (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
“Since I have not officially received the Order of Suspension, which I only learned from the media, today, Oct. 24, I filed a letter of voluntary service of suspension,” he said in a statement.
“This is to take advantage of the forthcoming holiday season when there is almost no work to be done,” pointed out Gadon who also lost in this year’s senatorial race.
While at the SC, Gadon received a copy of the suspension order after learning that the notice for the suspension was sent to the wrong address.
In his letter, Gadon informed the SC he has “not officially received a copy of the Order or Notice thereof.”
“The undersigned hereby respects the Order of the Honorable Supreme Court and hereby abides with the suspension despite non-receipt of the official Notice,” the letter stated.
“Thus, the undersigned hereby voluntarily serves the suspension starting today October 24, 2019 up to January 25, 2020 to comply with the Orders as per Administrative Case, AC 11810, dated June 26, 2019,” it added.
Recently, the SC Second Division chaired by Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has issued a ruling which imposed a three-month suspension against him based on the disbarment complaint filed by Dr. Helen Joselina Mendoza in August 2009 for having used foul language against her and her lawyer.
READ MORE: SC suspends Gadon over foul language
The SC adopted the recommendation of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Board of Governors which conducted an investigation into the complaint of Mendoza.
“Atty. Gadon committed a breach of his oath as a lawyer. He is also guilty of culpable violation of the CPR (Code of Professional Responsibility), the code of ethics of the legal profession,” read the SC ruling.
The high tribunal warned Gadon that “a repetition of the same or similar act in the future shall be dealt with more severely.
Mendoza, a dermatologist, holds a clinic at the Clinica Manila of the Ambulatory Health Care Institute, Inc. (AHCII) where Gadon holds a position as corporate secretary and vice president at that time.
Due to a complaint from a patient, Mendoza got suspended unilaterally by Gadon from practice in 2009 at the Clinica Manila without authorization from the board of directors and without just cause.
When her suspension got lifted but at a reduced number of clinic hours, Mendoza demanded the full restoration of her original schedule and threatened to file criminal civil actions if not met.
“Complainant asserted that in Atty. Gadon’s answer to her complaint, he had no qualms in using intemperate language. He was not only satisfied in maligning her in his letters, but also used unbecoming statements that displayed a lack of courtesy and candor towards his professional colleagues,” the high court cited the complaint of Mendoza.
READ MORE: Gadon sees silver lining in 90-day suspension, Suspension better than disbarment – Gadon