The Florida Bar, Complainant v. Noah Daniel Liberman, Respondent

Summary

The Court rejected the proposed three-year suspension and disbarred the respondent for a felony drug-trafficking conviction, concluding that substantial mitigation did not overcome the presumption of disbarment. The Court held that the seriousness of the trafficking offense required disbarment to protect the public and deter similar misconduct, while making the sanction effective nunc pro tunc to the date of the automatic felony suspension. PARIENTE, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part, would have approved the three-year suspension because the offense resulted from severe addiction, caused no client harm, and was followed by sustained rehabilitation.