State bar keeping eye on city attorney

The State Bar of California is monitoring the outcome of Newport Beach City Atty. David Hunt’s felony arrest earlier this month for possible discipline, agency officials said Tuesday.

Hunt was arrested in his Santa Ana home March 14 on suspicion of felony spousal abuse. Police said he pushed his wife down when she tried to intervene in a fight between him and his teenage son.

“Whenever we find out an attorney has been arrested, charged or convicted, we open a conviction monitoring file. We do just that: We keep an eye on it and see what happens,” said Kristin Ritsema, a supervising trial counsel for the state bar, which regulates lawyers who practice in California.

Hunt has not been charged with a crime by the Orange County district attorney’s office, and there is no guarantee that he will be.

If Hunt is charged with a felony, he will be required to notify the state bar, Ritsema said.

If it’s a misdemeanor, he isn’t required to do so, but the prosecutor handling the case is expected to, she said.

A misdemeanor conviction doesn’t automatically lead to discipline from the bar, Ritsema said. A felony conviction would bring an immediate suspension from the organization and further discipline depending on the circumstances of the incident, she said.

State bar officials consider moral turpitude or other misconduct that warrants discipline, she said.

Alleged domestic violence does not fall under either category until the details are investigated, officials said.

A recording of the 911 call Hunt’s son made to police the night of the arrest includes his son saying that Hunt “went crazy” and pushed down his mother.

Hunt has been put on paid administrative leave since the March 23 Newport Beach City Council meeting.