THE Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a resolution placing senatorial aspirant, lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, under preventive suspension and ordered him to show cause within 10 days why he should not be disbarred in connection with his viral video uttering profanities against journalist Raissa Robles.
The order was issued following the regular en banc session of the magistrates, but a copy of the resolution has yet to be officially released to the public.
“Atty. Gadon’s preventive suspension from the practice of law is effective immediately and to last until lifted by the Court,” the SC said in a statement issued by its Public Information Office.
On December 15, 2021, a video of Gadon uttering profanities against Robles went viral on social media, where the former appeared exasperated by Robles raising the issue of presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos’s tax case.
Several quarters urged the Court and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to take action against Gadon, saying his actions are not only an insult to Robles, but to the entire legal profession as well.
The Court en banc also motu proprio treated the matter as a formal administrative complaint for disbarment.
The SC en banc noted that Gadon, in previous instances, publicly displayed similar behavior, for which he is currently facing disbarment complaints before the Court and the IBP.
Prior to this, Gadon was meted out a three months’ suspension by the Court for violation of the Code of Professional Responsibility (CPR) for his “offensive” language toward a doctor. “The call of the public did not fall on deaf ears, and the Court immediately took action,” the SC-PIO said.
Gadon was given a non-extendible period of 10 days to file his comment on his latest disbarment case.
The Court also directed the Office of the Bar Confidant to submit an updated list of the pending administrative cases against Gadon within 10 days from receipt of the Resolution.
Likewise, the IBP was directed to submit within 10 days a status report of the administrative cases against Gadon pending before the IBP.
“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 Court pointed out.