THE FLORIDA BAR

v.

CLAYTON BOWERS STUDSTILL

Supreme Court of Florida

No. SC2024-0149

THE FLORIDA BAR, Complainant,

vs.

CLAYTON BOWERS STUDSTILL, Respondent.

October 15, 2026

PER CURIAM.

The Florida Bar seeks review of a report of referee recommending that Respondent, Clayton Bowers Studstill, be found not guilty of professional misconduct.¹ We instead find Respondent guilty of violating rules 4-3.3 (Candor Toward the Tribunal) and 4-3.4 (Fairness to Opposing Party and Counsel), and we remand to a newly appointed

1. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 15, Fla. Const.

referee for a hearing limited to a determination of the recommended discipline.

BACKGROUND

On January 31, 2024, the Bar filed a formal complaint against Respondent, alleging that while appearing before the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orange County case number 2017-DR-012388, he violated rules 4-3.3 and 4-3.4. It alleged he knowingly failed to abide by the court-ordered rule of sequestration by speaking to his expert witness and then, when questioned about his misconduct, misrepresented to the court what he had said to the witness. Respondent and Dorothy McMichen were together representing Respondent's wife in a paternity proceeding brought by her former boyfriend, Timothy Joseph Galvin. The Court referred the matter to a referee for consideration.

Referee's Findings as to Alleged Rule Violations

The Galvin paternity case was scheduled for trial the week of June 6, 2022. On Friday, June 3, 2022, Respondent and McMichen met in Orlando to finalize preparations for trial. The two lawyers had divided the witnesses between them. After having dinner together and returning to McMichen's office, McMichen noticed that Respondent looked “red-faced” and “acted different.” Respondent left McMichen's office early that evening and agreed to return the following morning. However, Respondent did not meet with McMichen the following day but instead went to Guidewell Emergency Doctors in Ocoee, Florida, where he tested positive for

COVID.

On June 5, 2022, McMichen filed a motion to continue in the Galvin case based on Respondent's illness. On the morning of June 6, 2022, a virtual hearing on the motion was held before Judge Michael Kraynick. After Mrs. Studstill testified pertaining to Respondent's condition, Judge Kraynick questioned Respondent regarding his illness and then granted in part and denied in part the motion to continue. The trial was continued from June 6 to June 8, and Mrs. Studstill and both of her attorneys were allowed to appear virtually.

On June 8, 2022, Respondent appeared virtually for trial. He conducted the direct examination of one witness. Respondent told Judge Kraynick that he was feeling better that day. At the disciplinary hearing, McMichen, the guardian ad litem Mary Ann Etzler, opposing counsel Douglas Dorner, and Timothy Galvin all testified that Respondent had no apparent issues and that there were no signs he was unwell. Respondent testified that on the evening of June 8, 2022, he took an at-home COVID test and again tested positive.

Respondent believed on Thursday, June 9, 2022, he had no choice but to appear in person for trial, as his client's key witness, Dr. Lisa Bidwell, was testifying that day and Respondent had approximately 10,000 emails to get into evidence. Despite not being fully recovered, even at one point asking Dr. Bidwell if she felt the building was swaying, he was able to direct examine Dr. Bidwell, enter some exhibits into evidence, and respond to objections.

During Dr. Bidwell's testimony, an issue arose regarding the authentication of text messages. Before her testimony was complete, Dr. Bidwell was asked to wait in the hallway until the documents could be authenticated by Mrs. Studstill. Prior to her departure, the judge invoked the rule of sequestration, explained what it meant, and asked Dr. Bidwell if she understood. She acknowledged that she understood. The trial judge expressly instructed Dr. Bidwell that she was “not permitted to have any contact or communication with any party or any party's representative between now and the time that [she was] called again to testify." Respondent remained in the courtroom while McMichen questioned Mrs. Studstill. As the examination was wrapping up, Respondent grabbed a stack of papers and exited the courtroom. After the judge adjourned for lunch, opposing counsel Dorner notified the bailiff that he needed to speak with the judge. Dorner advised the judge that he had observed Respondent outside the courtroom sitting and speaking to Dr. Bidwell. Judge Kraynick called Respondent back into the courtroom and questioned him about his conduct.

Respondent told the judge he was releasing Dr. Bidwell as a witness and wishing her well. He further stated: “I thought that she would be coming back to testify after the communications had been authenticated. Absent the authentication, I was trying to turn off the meter and release the witness.” In response, Judge Kraynick asked: "How do I know that you were not out there talking to her about what exhibits were entered and what were not, and now you're telling me you're releasing her without Mr. Dorner even having the opportunity to cross[-]examine her? You could understand the [c]ourt's frustration, right?" Respondent then changed his story, stating “[t]hat was my goal in going outside to make sure she was here."

Judge Kraynick then called Dr. Bidwell back into the courtroom and questioned her about her conversation with Respondent. She said, “He was talking about the text messages that weren't admitted for my in my analysis [and] was referencing the exhibit numbers that he thought weren't coming in.” When questioned further, she informed the court that Respondent had not had any conversation with her about releasing her as a witness.

Judge Kraynick then asked Respondent, “Why would you lie to this tribunal?” In response, Respondent stated that he did not believe he lied to the tribunal, but he agreed “that there must not have been proper candor.” Respondent also said, “In that moment, I did not recall properly,” and that he was paying attention “[t]o the best of [his] ability."

The judge released everyone for the lunch break. Upon trial resuming, Respondent was not present. McMichen informed the judge that Respondent was not feeling well and had left to seek medical attention. Judge Kraynick requested that Respondent return to the court. Upon his return, Respondent told the judge that his wife and co-counsel told him he did not look well, he did not feel well, and he needed to go get checked out before returning to work. Respondent also told the judge that he did not feel like he was “making very good decisions at that moment, and that [his] ability to practice at the moment is hampered" and that he had “some COVID brain.” The judge then released Respondent to seek medical attention.

Respondent returned to Guidewell Emergency Doctors, complaining of “not thinking right." Respondent was admitted to Orlando Health Hospital the afternoon of June 9, 2022, and was discharged from the hospital the following day. The discharge summary states that Respondent's diagnosis was COVID-19 and that he "[r]eturned to work too soon after Covid-19 while still symptomatic.”

Dr. Khurram Nazir, a board-certified neurologist, testified as an expert witness at the disciplinary hearing on Respondent's behalf. Dr. Nazir reviewed all of Respondent's Orlando medical records and met with Respondent in July 2024. In Dr. Nazir's opinion, Respondent was suffering from delirium on June 9, 2022, and should not have been working. Dr. Nazir testified that a person suffering from delirium may appear “normal” one moment and have loss of executive function the next.

Referee's Recommendations as to Guilt

In recommending that Respondent be found not guilty of the charged rule violations, the referee first stated that

[t]here's no question that the statements made by Mr. Studstill and his behavior in and of themselves on the record on June 9, 2022, are both a violation of the judge's order of sequestration, which is very clear on the record, and is a violation of the disciplinary rule of not being honest and candid with the court. On their face the statements are clearly that. Normally, that would be the end of the discussion. We'd be moving to a sanctions hearing, and that'd be that.

The referee believed, however, that the case “should never have happened” and that “[t]here are a whole lot of oddities." The referee discussed that COVID was “a very divisive kind of thing” and that he never had a situation where a judge did not take a lawyer's word that he was ill or sick.

Regarding Respondent's conduct with respect to Dr. Bidwell, the referee made the following observation:

They're in the middle of the testimony of Mrs. Studstill to authenticate these emails, and Mr. Studstill walks outside and has a conversation in violation of the sequestration order with Dr. Bidwell. That makes no sense to me at all for a person in their right mind.

Especially a lawyer. Why am I, as a lawyer, going to walk outside the courtroom and start talking to a witness out there? Number one, it's a violation of the judge's order, but that's beside the point. And start talking to them about what is or isn't coming into evidence when the judge hasn't even made a ruling? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. It is absolutely nonsensical. It just wouldn't even begin to make sense.

The referee then discussed what he believed was a nonsensical answer by Respondent in response to the trial court's inquiry:

Mr. Studstill compounds the problem by, when being addressed by the judge, well, what did you say to her? Well, I told her to go home. Why would he tell her to do that either? She's not been excused, but that's beside the point. By the witness going home, it would torpedo his own case. It would make no sense for him to do that either. It makes no logical sense. And I'm putting all this in this report to hopefully make it real clear to the Supreme Court Justices when they look at this, that this just doesn't make any sense, and why it doesn't make any sense, and it just basically doesn't make any sense in this situation.

The referee could not find that Respondent acted knowingly because

[t]he statements he made that were both inappropriate and untruthful make no sense for him to have made in his normal right mind. They don't logically help his case. Most people when they lie, lie to help themselves or lie to help their client, unfortunately. That's what they do. This makes no sense because none of this was going to do anything to help Mr. Studstill at all. It never was going to make any sense.

Based upon his impressions that Respondent's conduct did not make sense, the referee recommended that the Bar's complaint be dismissed and Respondent be found not guilty of violating any provision of the rules. The referee further stated that had the underlying case simply been continued by a month, this case would not be before the Court. In addition, the referee added that nothing he heard about Respondent suggests “this was in any way, shape, or form consistent with his behavior in the 20 years he's practiced law."

ANALYSIS

"The Court's review of the referee's findings of fact is limited, and if a referee's findings of fact are supported by competent, substantial evidence in the record, this Court will not reweigh the evidence and substitute its judgment for that of the referee.” Fla. Bar v. Schwartz, 284 So. 3d 393, 396 (Fla. 2019) (citing Fla. Bar v. Frederick, 756 So. 2d 79, 86 (Fla. 2000)). “That is, ‘a referee's findings of fact regarding guilt carry a presumption of correctness that should be upheld unless clearly erroneous or without support in the record.” Id. (quoting Fla. Bar v. Barrett, 897 So. 2d 1269,

1275 (Fla. 2005)). Further, the party challenging the referee's findings of fact and recommendations as to guilt has the burden to demonstrate “that there is no evidence in the record to support those findings or that the record evidence clearly contradicts the conclusions.” Fla. Bar v. Germain, 957 So. 2d 613, 620 (Fla. 2007). However, as to the actual recommendations of guilt, “the referee's factual findings must be sufficient under the applicable rules to support the recommendations.” Fla. Bar v. Patterson, 257 So. 3d 56, 61 (Fla. 2018) (citing Fla. Bar v. Shoureas, 913 So. 2d 554, 557- 58 (Fla. 2005)).

Rule 4-3.3(a)(1) provides that “[a] lawyer shall not knowingly make a false statement of fact or law to a tribunal or fail to correct a false statement of material fact or law previously made to the tribunal by the lawyer.” Rule 4-3.4(c) states “[a] lawyer must not knowingly disobey an obligation under the rules of a tribunal except for an open refusal based on an assertion that no valid obligation exists.” Both rules require that the lawyer act "knowingly.” The record contains no evidence to support the referee's findings. Indeed, the evidence contradicts the referee's conclusions that Respondent did not act knowingly.

To support the finding that Respondent's misconduct was not done knowingly, the referee erroneously focused on what Respondent's motive would be, concluding that because the misconduct would make no sense, he could not have acted knowingly. The question is not, however, Respondent's motive, but whether he acted knowingly, i.e., deliberately, Black's Law Dictionary (12th ed. 2024), with awareness, deliberateness, or intention, Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1993 ed.). See Fla. Bar v. Watson, 76 So. 3d 915, 922 (Fla. 2011). The record clearly establishes that Respondent's conduct was not accidental but deliberate.

First, the referee made clearly erroneous findings about when Judge Kraynick ruled on the admissibility of the exhibits and when Respondent left the courtroom to go speak to Dr. Bidwell.

At the hearing before the referee, the guardian ad litem testified that Respondent remained in the courtroom at counsel table on June 9, 2022, for about 10-15 minutes before the lunch break before taking papers and a folder with him when he left. The trial transcript reflects that a break was taken at 10:53 a.m., and the court reconvened at 11:00 a.m. for the authentication testimony. The lunch break was taken at 12:16 p.m., so, because Respondent only left the courtroom 10-15 minutes before the lunch break, he sat through approximately one hour of testimony before leaving the courtroom. Thus, while the trial transcript does not reflect at exactly what point Respondent went to speak to Dr. Bidwell, it is clear from the record Respondent left after Judge Kraynick had made at least some ruling or rulings on admissibility. Indeed, Judge Kraynick observed Respondent leave the courtroom and asked when the issue was raised, “How do I know that you were not out there talking to her about what exhibits were entered and what were not?"

When questioned by the court, Respondent did not admit that he was discussing the exclusion of certain exhibits with his expert witness, which would have risked having his witness's testimony entirely stricken. Rather, he falsely told the judge he was releasing her. Respondent's story fell apart when Judge Kraynick questioned the expert witness, who denied that Respondent had discharged her. She specifically testified that he discussed what exhibits would not be admitted. As is the case here, “absent an admission by the charged person, intent to violate a court order may be established by circumstantial evidence.” Fla. Bar v. Forrester, 916 So. 2d 647, 652 (Fla. 2005).

Second, the referee failed to view Respondent's alleged misconduct in the context of his actions throughout the paternity proceedings, stating that “nobody has ever presented anything about Mr. Studstill that suggested this was in any way, shape, or form consistent with his behavior in the 15 years or more that he has practiced law." Contrary to this finding of fact, Respondent had previously been found to have been in violation of one of the parties' joint stipulations by Judge Kraynick. And it is proper to consider the trial court's final order on paternity that was entered into evidence in the disciplinary hearing. Fla. Bar v. Gwynn, 94 So. 3d 425, 430 (Fla. 2012) (“The Court has clearly held that a referee in a bar disciplinary proceeding can properly rely upon facts established in orders and decisions of other tribunals to support his or her findings of fact."); Fla. Bar v. Alva, 404 So. 3d 293, 298 (Fla. 2024).

Finally, regarding Respondent's medical condition and its effect on his conduct, the referee's findings are also clearly erroneous. While there is no dispute that Respondent tested positive for COVID at a medical facility on June 4, 2022, the witness testimony was conflicting as to Respondent's physical symptoms. None of the medical records from June 9, 2022, reflect that Respondent was running a fever when he was seen at either urgent care or the emergency room, or that he was not oriented and alert. Rather, the medical records only include Respondent's selfreports of "not thinking right” and possibly “experiencing brain fog.” Moreover, as contemporaneously found by Judge Kraynick only hours before, Respondent had made his entry of appearance, addressed the court regarding the nature of Dr. Bidwell's testimony, began the direct examination of Dr. Bidwell and then requested a break in order to recall the witness after laying a foundation. In addition, for the first time when testifying before the referee, Respondent claimed that he tested positive for COVID the evening of June 8, 2022, but did not advise the trial court of that fact. Nor did McMichen testify before the referee that Respondent mentioned anything about a positive COVID test on June 8. Further, while Respondent testified before the referee that he tested positive for COVID at the hospital on June 9, 2022, the records refute that testimony by not reflecting any new diagnosis of COVID-19, only that he had previously been diagnosed with the virus on June 4.

And regarding Dr. Nazir's testimony, once again, it is based upon Respondent's self-reports, both from the 2022 records and his 2024 evaluation of Respondent. For these reasons, we conclude that the medical records and testimony here do not constitute competent, substantial evidence that Respondent was not “in his normal right mind" and thus did not act knowingly as found by the referee. Cf. Fla. Bar v. Whitney, 132 So. 3d 1095, 1104 (Fla. 2013) (competent, substantial evidence supported the referee's finding that the representation to the tribunal was false regarding why the respondent could not attend the deposition because respondent's medical records only showed that he went to a medical clinic two days after the deposition he failed to attend, was treated for a skin rash, and at no time filed a notice of unavailability for the deposition or contacted opposing counsel).

Based upon the foregoing, the referee's findings of fact are clearly erroneous. As discussed above, the record evidence establishes that Respondent knowingly violated the rule of sequestration, as ordered by the court, and discussed with his expert witness some of the exhibits that would be excluded from trial, in violation of rule 4-3.4(c). The record evidence also establishes that Respondent then knowingly lied to Judge Kraynick regarding his interaction with his expert witness in violation of rule 4-3.3(a)(1).

The dissent disagrees, arguing that Respondent did not violate the "rule of sequestration.” While the dissent may be correct about the traditional scope of sequestration, that is beside the point. The trial court did not simply invoke the rule of sequestration in generalized terms. Instead, Respondent disregarded the trial court's specific sequestration ruling that Dr. Bidwell not speak to “any party or any party's representative” until she was recalled to testify. That is, he “knowingly disobey[ed]” the ruling without "open[ly] refus[ing]”—or objecting to—the obligation it imposed. R. Regulating Fla. Bar 4-3.4(c). In doing so, he also placed the witness in an untenable situation. If Respondent felt the trial judge's sequestration order was overbroad or incorrect, he should have raised his concerns with the judge in the presence of opposing counsel-not ignore the order of the court altogether.

CONCLUSION

Accordingly, we conclude that the referee's conclusion that Respondent did not violate Rules Regulating The Florida Bar

4-3.3(a)(1) and 4-3.4(c) is clearly erroneous. Therefore, we disapprove the referee's report and remand this case to a newly appointed referee for a hearing limited to a determination of recommended discipline.

It is so ordered.

COURIEL, C.J., and LABARGA, MUÑIZ, GROSSHANS, and FRANCIS, JJ., concur. TANENBAUM, J., concurs in part and dissents in part with an opinion, in which BARRIOS, J., concurs.