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June 24, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels February 3, 2004 Local attorney disbarred by state Bar association notes Ronald Cue had many infractions in 20 years By Steve Zimmerman Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland attorney Ronald Cue has been disbarred by the Oregon Supreme Court after a final order was issued Jan. 28. Kateri Walsh, spokesperson for the Oregon State Bar Association, said a motion is before the court asking that a March 1 date be issued for Cue to cease all legal activities. The motion has been signed and Cue has agreed to that March 1 date. Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland lawyer Ronald Cue will close his law practice before March 1. Cue said he accepts the court's decision. "The reason I didn't put up a defense is because I did it," he said. "The reason for the disbarment was I did not pay attention to that young man's [Tucker Fife] case. My offenses involved procrastination. I have no disagreement with the Bar. The Bar counsel treated me with great empathy." According to the complaint, argued before the Oregon Supreme Court by Jane E. Angus, Bar counsel, Cue has been brought before the bar several times in the past, and is being disbarred for those actions and two more recent ones involving clients Jordan Miller and Fife. In the Miller case in 2001, Miller's parents retained Cue in a legal matter. The Millers paid Cue a retainer which was not deposited in his trust account. Cue could not account for the money after the Millers terminated their agreement with Cue. In the second case, Fife, then a student at Southern Oregon University, retained Cue. Fife also paid Cue for his services and those services were not rendered and the funds were not deposited into any bank account. Fife contacted Cue later in 1998 to determine whether the actions for which he had been paid were complete. Cue led Fife to believe he had. In 2000 and 2001, Fife contacted Cue after learning nothing had been done on his case. It wasn't until 2002 that Cue drafted the order to complete the action, which was then denied by the court because it was brought prematurely. When he did finally file with the court in 2002, Cue was already under investigation in the Miller matter and failed to advise Fife of that fact. Cue's problems with the bar date back two decades. He was once suspended in January of 1994 for unrelated matters. He was also admonished for neglect in 1984, accepted a letter of admonition in 1986 and was suspended, although it was stayed for two years during which he was placed on probation for 60 days, in 1990. In 1998, Cue was again suspended, this time for six months for neglect and violation of other disciplinary rules similar to the violations in the most recent case. Cue also admitted to the Judicial Panel that he prepared an order in the Fife case and forged a judge's signature on the order. The Panel noted that, "to his credit, the accused (Cue) stopped short of actually giving the order to Fife or anyone else." The Panel wrote in their opinion than Cue did express remorse but that remorse was not confirmed by actions such as returning the Fife fee, as Cue had promised to do. Cue, in his defense before the Panel, admitted to the material facts presented by the Bar. But he noted that he suffered from an unspecified mental or emotional problem which resulted in his procrastination. "I suggested to the bar that I had some kind of anxiety disorder," Cue said. "I went to a doctor but he really didn't know. But then I discovered my mother had suffered anxiety attacks. Then my sister had the same problem and so did my brother. That is four out of four. I have gone on an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), Lexapro, and it has gone away and I am sleeping better." Walsh said a change in Oregon law in 1995 makes Cue ineligible to apply for reinstatement to the Oregon Bar. Depending on an individual state's law, he may be eligible in other states to apply to again practice law. The decision was rendered final June 16, 2003, and was approved by the Oregon Supreme Court on Dec. 26. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams