In re Belding
Supreme Court of South Carolina
589 S.E.2d 197 (2003)
Relevant factsFree
Attorney Belding (defendant) was hired by a husband to create fake divorce documents to shock his estranged wife into reconciling; Belding forged another attorney's signature and a real judge's signature on the fake papers, which the wife discovered in her husband's car. In a separate matter, Belding failed to tell a client, Mrs. Carmen, about a changed hearing date, missed the hearing, and then accepted a settlement offer without her consent. Disciplinary charges followed on both matters.
IssueFree
Whether Professional Rule of Conduct 4.1 requires a showing of intent to commit criminal forgery in order to justify a sanction.