The Supreme Court has issued a resolution ordering the preventive suspension of controversial lawyer Larry Gadon and to show cause explaining why he should not face disbarment after his video hurling profanities against journalist Raissa Robles went viral.
“The Supreme Court today ordered the preventive suspension of Atty. Lorenzo G. Gadon and for him to show cause why he should not be meted with the ultimate penalty of disbarment in connection with his viral video uttering profanities against journalist Raissa Robles,” the Supreme Court wrote in a statement.
“Gadon’s preventive suspension from the practice of law is effective immediately and to last until lifted by the Court,” the court added.
— Philippine Supreme Court Public Information Office (@SCPh_PIO) January 4, 2022
“On December 15, 2021, a video of Gadon uttering profanities against Robles went viral in social media, where the former appeared exasperated by the fact that Robles called Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” R. Marcos a tax evader,” the statement read.
The Supreme Court acknowledged the public’s urging to discipline Gadon over “his latest vulgar rant, saying that Atty. Gadon’s actions are not only an insult to Robles, but to the entire legal profession as well.”
“The call of the public did not fall on deaf ears,” the Court wrote, “and the Court immediately took action.”
The Supreme Court en banc said that they acted motu proprio, or on their own and treated the matter as a formal disbarment complaint against Gadon. Gadon will have 10 days to respond to the complaint.
“In a Resolution issued today, January 4, 2022, the Court En Banc motu proprio treated the matter as a formal administrative complaint for disbarment against Gadon, who was given a non- extendible period of 10 days to file his comment, in consideration of the numerous prior controversies leading to the disbarment cases filed against Gadon, and the most recent viral video where he displayed the same controversial behavior despite previous warnings,” the Court wrote.
The Supreme Court also mentioned Gadon’s pending disbarment complaints before the Supreme Court and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines for the same foul-mouthed behavior in the past.
“The Court had previously penalized Gadon with a three-month suspension in a disbarment case in 2019 for: (1) the statements he made about the use of legal remedies as slow and requiring a lot of resources; and (2) the malicious and arrogant language he used against the adverse party and her lawyer. In the same case, the Court already reminded the former to be more wary of his actions and to restrain himself in displaying ill temper and to refrain from using abusive and distasteful language. Gadon was already warned that a repetition of the same or similar act shall be dealt with more severely. But despite such warning, Gadon has continued to display similarly abhorrent behavior, with the viral video against Robles.”
The Supreme Court has directed the Office of the Bar Confidant to submit an updated list of the pending administrative cases against Gadon within 10 days. The Court also directed the IBP to submit a status report of the pending administrative cases against Gadon.
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