Case Digest (B.M. No. 3288)
Facts:
Mercuria D. So v. Ma. Lucille P. Lee, B.M. No. 3288, April 6, 2020, Supreme Court En Banc, Reyes, Jr., J., writing for the Court.On May 19, 2017, the Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) received a letter from Mercuria D. So alleging that Ma. Lucille P. Lee (Lee), a successful examinee of the 2016 Bar Examinations, was a defendant in Civil Case No. 740 and thus unfit for admission to the Bar because of her alleged irresponsible attitude toward monetary obligations; the letter attached So’s Complaint for Collection of Sum of Money. Lee submitted a Comment stating she had been unaware of Civil Case No. 740 until she registered for oath taking; she admitted borrowing P200,000 from So and paying P140,000 over ten months, but later defaulted due to business losses and asked for more time to settle.
The OBC’s July 11, 2017 Report noted that Lee’s Bar application already disclosed another case, Civil Case No. 1436, titled Nonoy Bolos v. Ma. Lucille Lee Jao, involving several loans from Joseph “Nonoy” Bolos aggregating P1,450,000. In its August 1, 2017 Resolution, the Court held Lee’s request to sign the Roll of Attorneys in abeyance pending the status of Civil Case Nos. 740 and 1436 and required Lee to manifest the cases’ status.
In an October 2017 petition, Lee manifested that Civil Case No. 740 had been dismissed pursuant to a Compromise Agreement and that she had complied with its terms. In a March 15, 2019 petition, she again asserted the dismissal of Civil Case No. 740 and added that Civil Case No. 1436 had likewise been dismissed by a Judgment by Compromise dated January 29, 2019, under which she agreed to pay Bolos at least P15,000 monthly beginning one month after she signs the Roll of Attorneys.
In its March 28, 2019 Report, the OBC recommended that Lee be allowed to retake the Lawyer’s Oath and sign the Roll of Attorneys, but subject to the condition that she inform the Court within one month after making her first P15,000 monthly payment to Bolos and inform the Court ...(Subscriber-Only)
Issues:
- Should Ma. Lucille P. Lee be allowed to retake the Lawyer’s Oath and sign the Roll of Attorneys...(Subscriber-Only)
Ruling:
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Ratio:
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Doctrine:
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