High Tribunal demands controversial lawyer Atty. Lorenzo G. Gadon to explain why he should not be disbarred.
The Supreme Court today ordered the preventive suspension of Atty. Lorenzo G. Gadon and for him to show cause why he should not be meted with the ultimate penalty of disbarment in connection with his viral video uttering profanities against journalist Raissa Robles. Atty. Gadon’s preventive suspension from the practice of law is effective immediately and to last until lifted by the Court.
On December 15, 2021, a video of Gadon uttering profanities against Robles went viral in social media, where the former appeared exasperated by the fact that Robles called Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” R. Marcos a tax evader.
The public has urged the Court and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to discipline Gadon over his latest vulgar rant, saying that Atty. Gadon’s actions are not only an insult to Robles but to the entire legal profession as well. The call of the public did not fall on deaf ears, and the Court immediately took action.
Gadon had, on previous instances, publicly displayed the same kind of behavior, for which he is currently facing disbarment complaints before the Court and the IBP.
In a Resolution issued today, January 4, 2022, the Court En Banc motu proprio treated the matter as a formal administrative complaint for disbarment against Gadon, who was given a non-extendible period of 10 days to file his comment, in consideration of the numerous prior controversies leading to the disbarment cases filed against Gadon, and the most recent viral video where he displayed the same controversial behavior despite previous warnings.
The Court also directed the Office of the Bar Confidant to submit an updated list of the pending administrative cases against Gadon within 10 days from receipt of the Resolution. Likewise, the IBP was directed to submit within 10 days a status report of the administrative cases against Gadon pending before the IBP.
The Court had previously penalized Gadon with a three-month suspension in a disbarment case in 2019 for: (1) the statements he
made about the use of legal remedies as slow and requiring a lot of resources; and (2) the malicious and arrogant language he used against the adverse party and her lawyer. In the same case, the Court already reminded the former to be more wary of his actions and to restrain himself in displaying ill temper and to refrain from using abusive and distasteful language. Gadon was already warned that a repetition of the same or similar act shall be dealt with more severely. But despite such warning, Gadon has continued to display similarly abhorrent behavior, with the viral video against Robles.
The SC Public Information will immediately upload a copy of the Resolution in the SC website upon receipt of the ruling from the Office of the Clerk of Court En Banc. (Supreme Court Public Information Office)
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