Alabama attorney David Erickson Hudgens, practicing in Florida for 34 years, has been disbarred following a May 11 Florida Supreme Court order over allegations of misappropriation, misrepresentation and the filing of false reports in Alabama.
The allegations against Hudgens arose from a disciplinary case in Alabama following trust accounting issues, according to the Florida State Bar's petition for disciplinary revocation filed with the Florida Supreme Court. Hudgens also has been disbarred in Alabama and Mississippi and has been cooperative in his disbarment in all three states, according to state bar and supreme court filings.
The Florida Supreme Court issued its order of disciplinary revocation, tantamount to disbarment, with leave to seek readmission after five years. The Florida State Bar announced the discipline and the court's order June 29.
Hudgens, admitted to the bar in Florida on May 23, 1984, maintains a law office in Daphne, Alabama, according to his profile at the Florida State Bar website. Hudgens has had no other discipline before the Florida bar for at least ten years, according to his profile.
Hudgens was disbarred in Alabama, effective Sept. 30, after he admitted to misappropriating client funds and tendered his consent to disbarment in that state, according to a discipline report issued by the Alabama State Bar. Hudgens had no previous discipline in Alabama, according to the report.
In Mississippi, Hudgens self-reported his Alabama disbarment to the Mississippi State Bar, admitting he knowingly misappropriated a client's trust account funds and then misrepresented to the client that the funds were still available, according to that state's order of disbarment issued April 18. "Hudgens represents that he is working toward an acceptable restitution program with the client," that order said.
Hudgens informed the Mississippi State Bar and Mississippi Supreme Court that his practice in Mississippi has been limited and filed an answer in that state in which he admitted to all of the allegations, according to the order. "While Hudgens is certainly cooperative in this proceeding, he offers no reason or argument why the reciprocal discipline should not equal that of the Alabama Supreme Court," the order said.