Wyatt Faces Discipline with State Bar

Robert Wyatt, sentenced to probation and home detention for vehicular manslaughter in a high-profile 2010 Rossmoor accident, now faces a disciplinary hearing with the California State Bar.

Felony vehicular manslaughter is not a moral turpitude crime resulting in automatic disbarment, said state bar spokeswoman Laura Ernde, because the offense involves negligence as opposed to criminal intent, the Contra Costa Times reported. The hearing could result in no sanctions, suspension or disbarment.

Wyatt, 72, is an environmental lawyer with the Allen Matkins firm in San Francisco.

On April 30, Wyatt, a Rossmoor resident, pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, a felony. Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Clare Maier sentenced Wyatt to three years of felony formal probation, including 90 days of home detention. Wyatt was ordered to pay victim restitution to Phillips' family. The judge also ordered him to abstain from alcohol during the term of the probation, and revoked his driver's license for a year.

Wyatt was the driver of a Bentley that struck and killed Edward Phillips, 85, of Rossmoor on Dec. 10, 2010. Later in the evening, Wyatt registered a blood alcohol level of 0.18, more than twice the legal limit, police reported.