Paonessa

Petitioner, a member of the Bar, was charged in five counts with conduct allegedly requiring discipline. In count one it was claimed he had represented Mrs. Olive Jean Deveux in an annulment action against her husband, and that he had prepared the complaint so as to allege that before marriage Deveux falsely represented he desired children but after marriage had refused to cohabit so as to cause children to be conceived; that petitioner knew at the commencement of the action that the parties had a child but petitioner instructed Mr. and Mrs. Deveux not to disclose the child’s existence and instructed plaintiff to testify that Deveux refused to cohabit with or have children by her.

Count two charged similar conduct in connection with petitioner’s representation of Louis Stander in an annulment action by him against his wife. The parties to that action had two children as issue of the marriage, but petitioner instructed Stander to testify that there were none.

Count three charged that in the annulment action in count two petitioner caused, without authorization, Stander to sign Mrs. Stander’s name to a document filed in the action, called a general appearance and acknowledgment of…