Teodoro R. Rivera vs. Atty.

Sergio Angeles
A.C. No. 2519. August 29, 2000
Facts: Atty. Sergio Angeles was the legal counsel of Teodoro Rivera and 2
others in a civil case. Rivera and his 2 co-plaintiffs received a favorable
decision. Atty. Angeles received almost PhP 50,000 from one of the
defendants in the case as partial fulfillment of the judgement against the
latter. Atty. Angeles, however, never told his clients of the amount he had
received and never remitted the same to him, leaving them to discover
such fact on their own. Rivera and his co-plaintiffs filed an administrative
complaint for disbarment against Atty. Angeles.

Held: GUILTY. Atty. Angeles was not disbarred but the Court ruled that his
act amounted to serious misconduct. The Court has repeatedly stressed
the importance of integrity and good moral character as part of a
lawyers equipment in the practice of his profession. For it cannot be
denied that the respect of litigants for the profession is inexorably
diminished whenever a member of the Bar betrays their trust and
confidence. The Court is not oblivious of the right of a lawyer to be paid
for the legal services he has extended to his client but such right should
not be exercised whimsically by appropriating to himself the money
intended for his clients. There should never be an instance where the
victor in litigation loses everything he won to the fees of his own lawyer.
For deceit in dealing with his client, Atty. Angeles was suspended from
the practice of law for 1 year.