Walden v. Alabama State Bar Association, et al., [Ms. 1180203, Mar. 27, 2020] __ So. 3d __ (Ala. 2020). The Court (Mitchell,
J.; Parker, C.J., and Bolin, Shaw, Wise, Bryan, Sellers, and Stewart,
JJ., concur; Mendheim, J., concurs in the result) affirms the Montgomery
Circuit Court’s dismissal of declaratory and monetary claims brought
by a disbarred attorney against the State Bar and members of a State Bar
disciplinary panel.
As to the declaratory claims, the Court held, “[s]imply put, circuit
courts in this State have no authority to reverse a judgment made by the
State Bar in a disciplinary proceeding, to admit an attorney to the State
Bar, or to direct the State Bar to reinstate an attorney who has previously
been disbarred.” Ms. *8.
The Court also affirmed the dismissal of the monetary claims “[b]ecause
Walden has failed to address the State Bar defendants’ arguments
that the trial court had no ability to award him monetary damages because
of the doctrines of State immunity and quasi-judicial immunity….”
Ms. * 11, citing
Devine v. Bank of New York Mellon Corp., [Ms. 1171002, Nov. 22, 2019] ___ So. 3d ___, ___ (Ala. 2019) (“When
a trial court has stated that a judgment is warranted on multiple grounds,
it is incumbent upon a party that subsequently appeals that judgment to
address all of those grounds in the opening appellate brief because any
issue not argued at that time is waived.”).
