Wyoming Supreme Court Censures Utah Attorney

The Wyoming Supreme Court today issued a public censure to Ogden, Utah, lawyer Stuwert B. Johnson.  Johnson, who is a member of the Wyoming State Bar, undertook the representation of a client on a criminal charge of driving under the influence of alcohol in Sweetwater County.  After missing several court dates, Johnson attempted to negotiate a plea agreement to have his client plead guilty to the DUI charge based on Johnson’s belief that blood testing revealed the presence of alcohol in his client’s system.  In fact, the blood test indicated no alcohol.  The client retained other counsel and submitted a grievance about Johnson to the Wyoming State Bar.

After the grievance was filed, Johnson failed to timely respond to Bar Counsel’s inquiries in the matter, and failed to timely respond to a formal charge of professional misconduct brought by Bar Counsel.  Johnson ultimately agreed that his conduct in the matter violated several Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct, including Rule 1.1 (competence), Rule 1.3 (diligence) and Rule 1.4 (communication with client).  Johnson stipulated to a public censure for his conduct, which stipulation was approved by the Board of Professional Responsibility and ordered by the Court.  Johnson was ordered to pay an administrative fee of $500.00 and costs in the amount of $50.00 to the Wyoming State Bar.

Order of Public Censure

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