On Friday, January 20, 2023, the Supreme Court of Iowa suspended attorney Curt N. Daniels. The case is entitled “Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board v Curt N. Daniels” with case no. 22-1646.
The charges cited Iowa Rules of Professional Conduct 32:3.1 and 32;8.4(d).
Prior to the current matter, the respondent was already publicly reprimanded in 2013 for frivolous filings in protracted litigation against a personal adversary. Allegedly, despite the earlier sanction, the respondent, acting as his own attorney against the same adversary, continued to pursue his personal vendetta with numerous additional frivolous court filings.
The filing states:
“Daniels testified that this litigation “has plagued me for 20 years” and “so consumed” him that he has not represented any other clients since 2016. He admitted that “it just took all my time and then some.” We recount highlights from what a federal judge aptly described as a “tortured history”.
The filing continues:
“On January 10, 2022, the lowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board filed a complaint against Daniels. The complaint alleged violations of lowa Rules of Professional Responsibility 32:3.1, for frivolous litigation, and 32:8.4(d), for conduct “prejudicial to the administration of justice.” Daniels responded that he has done nothing unethical because he is making a good faith effort to correct legal errors that the district court first made nearly fifteen years ago.”
The filing further states:
“During the commission hearing, a member of the panel asked whether Daniels would commit to desist from further filings against Holtz given the multiple court orders for him to do just that. Daniels refused, and he instead indicated he would “struggle for some distant island way off in the distance called Justice.” He argued that the courts are enabling Holtz to defraud him while we use the Board’s attorneys as our “attack dogs.”
According to the court, the respondent repeatedly violated the above-mentioned Rules of Professional Conduct. Moreover, the court added that the respondent’s persistent and inexorable pursuit of the same claims over and over again against the same litigant, spanning more than a decade, is a drain on judicial resources and a blight on the justice system. In consideration of the factual findings and the violated rules, the court decided to suspend the respondent.
The Disposition states:
“We suspend Daniels’s license to practice law with no possibility of reinstatement for a minimum period of six months from the filing of this opinion. This suspension applies to all facets of the practice of law. See lowa Ct. R. 34.23(3). Daniels must comply with the client and counsel notification requirements of lowa Court Rule 34.24. Daniels also must comply with the existing injunctions against further litigation and as a condition of reinstatement, must fully pay off the $15,472 in court-ordered sanctions. Costs of this action are taxed to Daniels pursuant to Iowa Court Rule 36.24(1).”
Mr. Daniels practices in Des Moines, Iowa. He is licensed in Iowa. His info can be found on lawyer.com.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
