Disclosure of Fraud of Former Bankruptcy Client

 

Opinion rules that a lawyer with knowledge that a former client is defrauding a bankruptcy court may reveal the confidences of the former client to rectify the fraud if required by law or if necessary to rectify the fraud.

 

Inquiry:          

 

Client seeks advice from Attorney A on filing bankruptcy under either Chapter 7 or 13 of the bankruptcy code. During the course of the initial meeting, it becomes apparent to Attorney A that Client has substantial problems (e.g., preferential payments to friends or relatives, excessive equity in property, co-signed loans) that either preclude the filing of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or significantly raise Client's anticipated monthly Chapter 13 payment. Attorney A describes in detail the problems Client's case presents. Client thanks Attorney A for his time and leaves his office.

 

Several weeks later, at the Section 341 First Meeting of Creditors, Attorney A learns that Client retained Attorney B to represent him and has filed a bankruptcy petition. Attorney A recalls that he previously determined that there were a number of obstacles to filing bankruptcy for Client. Attorney A believes that Client intentionally failed to reveal these problems to Attorney B.

 

What is Attorney A's obligation under these circumstances?

 

Opinion:        

 

The information that Attorney A learned during his conference with Client is confidential client information that Attorney A may not disclose to third parties, including bankruptcy officials and Client's current lawyer, unless one of the exceptions to the duty of confidentiality found in Rule 1.6 of the Revised Rules of Professional Conduct applies. Two exceptions to the duty of confidentiality are relevant.

 

Rule 1.6(d)(3) permits Attorney A to reveal Client's confidences if required to do so by law. A number of bankruptcy statutes require disclosure of debtor's assets and liabilities and other financial information. 18 U.S.C. §152, a federal criminal statute, imposes criminal penalties on "a person who knowingly and fraudulently conceals…any property belonging to the estate of a debtor…." Rule 1.6(d)(3) merely determines whether a lawyer is permitted to disclose confidential information, not whether the lawyer is compelled to do so by law. Whether a lawyer has a duty to disclose confidential information under the circumstances described above is a matter to be determined under 18 U.S.C. §152 and other relevant law. The determination of that legal issue is beyond the scope of this opinion. See 98 Formal Ethics Opinion 20.

 

Rule 1.6(d)(5) permits a lawyer to reveal confidential information of a client to the extent that the lawyer reasonably believes necessary to rectify the consequences of a client's criminal or fraudulent act "in the commission of which the lawyer's services were used." Mere suspicion that Client is committing a fraud on the court is not sufficient to trigger this exception to the duty of confidentiality. However, if Attorney A knows that Client is committing a fraud on the court and that his services were used to perpetrate the fraud, he may reveal confidential information of his former client as necessary to rectify the fraud.

 

If Attorney A knows that the bankruptcy petition is fraudulent and he decides to take action to rectify the fraud, Attorney should reveal confidential information of Client only to the extent necessary.  The first step is a letter to his former client requesting that Client take action to rectify the fraud. If this is unsuccessful, disclosure to Client's current lawyer is permitted under Rule 1.6(d)(5). Attorney A should inform Attorney B that he will notify the bankruptcy administrator if no action is taken to rectify the fraud or he does not receive a response from Attorney B. If Attorney B fails to respond or fails to alleviate Attorney A's concerns, Attorney A may notify the bankruptcy administrator.