A Waterford attorney will have his
name stricken from the roll of attorneys licensed to practice in this state
after pleading guilty to felony promoting a sexual performance by a child,
according to a unanimous decision by the Appellate Division.
Erik C. Sanderson, of Waterford, was
automatically disbarred on Feb. 7, 2012 after he pleaded guilty in
Albany County Court. The Appellate Division decision said his guilty plea “was equivalent to a
conviction for attorney discipline purposes” and the Committee on Professional
Standards wanted to strike his name from the roll. Sanderson, however, wanted
to resign rather than have his name stricken.
The decision states that there is
no real difference since he is disbarred anyway and striking his name is merely
a “formality.”
“Given these circumstances,
respondents request to voluntarily resign … is inapposite and is rejected,” the
decision reads.
In a footnote, the court said
lawyers are required to report criminal convictions within 30 days but
Sanderson, who was licensed in 2002, did not inform anyone of his guilty plea
until April. Details of his arrest were not immediately available.
No comments:
Post a Comment