News Releases

State Bar Court disciplines lawyer for false accusation in Yolo County judicial race

Contact: Laura Ernde

415-538-2283

barcomm@calbar.ca.gov

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 10, 2015 — In a case of first impression, the State Bar Court has issued a public reproval of a lawyer who falsely accused his opponent in a June 2012 judicial campaign of being involved in a bribery and corporate fraud scheme.

The order disciplining Clinton Edward Parish, 43, [bar #211982] is scheduled to go into effect Feb. 26. The order may be appealed to the California Supreme Court.

The State Bar Court Review Department said Parish made the false charge against his opponent, a sitting Yolo County Superior Court judge, with reckless disregard for the truth.

The court found the false accusation violated rule 1-700 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct, which requires attorneys running for judicial office to abide by Canon 5 of the Code of Judicial Ethics. The judicial canon states that candidates for judicial office shall not “knowingly, or with reckless disregard for the truth, misrepresent the identity, qualifications, present position or any other fact concerning the candidate or his or her opponent.”

“[W]e find Parish’s reckless statement implicating a judge with bribery requires public discipline to maintain the integrity of the legal profession and to preserve public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary,” the Review Department order said.

In September 2013, a State Bar Court Hearing Department judge found that Parish violated the rule but recommended an admonition, which is not considered discipline. Parish conceded that his campaign mailer contained a false statement, but argued it did not warrant discipline because it was unintentional.

Both Parish and the State Bar’s Office of the Chief Trial Counsel requested review by the three-judge Review Department.
Parish was admitted to the State Bar in 2000 and had no prior record of discipline.

In rule changes that were adopted by the California Supreme Court in November 2012, judges and lawyers seeking judicial office are required to take a free online ethics course within 60 days of filing for office.