LOS ANGELES — Lynn Hubbard III, an attorney in Chico, was recently barred from practicing law for one year by the State Bar Court of California for misconduct after he allegedly missed a court-ordered scheduling conference, forged his mother's signature on documents and fabricated evidence.
In 2011, Hubbard allegedly failed to report to the State Bar after missing a court-ordered scheduling conference.
In 2009, Hubbard represented his mother against the stores Flava and Hot Topic, alleging they had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). After his mother's death in December 2009, Hubbard allegedly faxed settlement papers to the stores with his mother’s forged signature. He did not reveal to the stores and opposing counsel of his mother’s death until they a settlement hearing in February 2010. The attorney said his mother had signed the papers before her death.
Hubbard later represented a client in a suit against McDonald’s in which the client had supposedly run into “several barriers” that violated the ADA. The lawsuit did not specify when or how often the claimant visited the restaurant in question. When the defense requested proof, Hubbard’s legal assistant sent an email the following day with a copy of a receipt dated Jan. 8, 2013. Security footage later revealed that the receipt had belonged to Hubbard, who was in the restaurant that day.
After an appeal of the original one-year suspension, the State Bar Court ordered a one-year stayed suspension until he can provide proof of his rehabilitation. The attorney will also be on three years of probation following the suspension.
Hubbard is required to notify all of his clients of the ruling, deliver any papers necessary to clients in regards to their cases, return any fees that remain unearned and alert opposing counsel in any pending litigation of his disbarment. Failure to adhere to any of the terms of his probation will result in a one-year suspension without a hearing.