10 Connecticut Attorneys Disciplined
The Connecticut Statewide Grievance Committee's most recent roundup of disciplinary actions showed lawyers ethics charges for offenses ranging from IOLTA mismanagement to stealing from clients.
December 26, 2019 at 05:44 PM
7 minute read
Connecticut's Statewide Grievance Committee imposed discipline on seven attorneys in November and there were three court orders involving Connecticut-based attorneys, according to the latest roundup of attorney ethics cases.
The committee released its November report on Tuesday. The sanctions include suspensions and payment of restitution, presentments, reprimands, and discipline with conditions. Here's a look at the attorneys, listed alphabetically, whose ethics charges led to disciplinary action:
Kelly Ann Carden
The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel made a presentment in the case of Coventry solo practitioner Kelly Ann Carden.
The office found that Carden "engaged in unethical conduct" in connection with her representation of Darin Lemire. According to a synopsis of the case by the Statewide Grievance Committee, Carden was retained in March 2016 by Lemire, who was acting as conservator for his grandfather. Carden was hired to initiate a civil action against Jeanne and John Lemire, two relatives of Darin Lemire, for conversion and breach of fiduciary duties.
Darin Lemire communicated his concern to Carden that Jeanne and John Lemire would transfer property and requested that Carden obtain a prejudgment remedy of attachment.
Although, according to the grievance committee, Darin Lemire repeatedly requested the attachment be filed on the property, Carden "did not attempt to have the attachment recorded until October 2016."
As it turned out, the grievance committee wrote that significant time had lapsed forcing Darin Lemire to secure new counsel. The grievance committee wrote that Carden was "non-responsive to the complainant for a period of time."
Steven Colarossi
In the case of Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel v. Steven A. Colarossi, Stamford Superior Court Judge Robert Genuario suspended Norwalk-based attorney Steven Colarossi for 30 days, effective Nov. 8 through Dec. 8, for an Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA) violation.
According to the synopsis by the grievance committee, Colarossi "failed and/or refused to cooperate with a random audit of his IOLTA account."
Robert Fiedler
The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel reprimanded Newington-based attorney Robert Fiedler after a complaint against him was filed on behalf of Herminio Hernandez.
A grievance panel within the Statewide Grievance Committee found Fiedler violated Rule 1.5 of the Rules of Professional Conduct, which deals with lawyer fees, and Rule 8.1(2), which deals with maintaining the integrity of the profession.
No one from the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel was available Thursday to elaborate on the matter.
Joseph Fournier
The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel set conditions for East Haven solo practitioner Joseph Fournier after a complaint against him was filed on behalf of Kerry-Anne Lowe.
A grievance panel within the Statewide Grievance Committee found Fournier violated the Rules of Professional Conduct dealing with communication, fees, and the scope of representation and authority between client and attorney.
Fournier and the disciplinary counsel agreed that the attorney would take three hours of continuing legal education courses in legal ethics and three hours of continuing legal education in office management.
No one from the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel was available Thursday to elaborate on the matter.
Lawrence Greenberg
The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel reprimanded Lawrence Greenberg, an attorney with New Haven-based Bernblum & Greenberg after a complaint against him was filed on behalf of Lisa Brown.
A grievance panel within the Statewide Grievance Committee found Greenberg violated the Rules of Professional Conduct dealing with competence, diligence and the section dealing with conflict of interest.
No one from the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel was available Thursday to elaborate on the matter.
Dale King
The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel reprimanded Pawcatuck-based attorney Dale King after a complaint against him was filed on behalf of Linda Honeysette.
A grievance panel within the Statewide Grievance Committee found King violated the Rules of Professional Conduct dealing with fees and conflict of interest, among others.
King was ordered to take three hours of continuing legal education in legal ethics and three hours of continuing legal education in residential real property.
No one from the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel was available Thursday to elaborate on the matter.
Eric Parham
The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel made a presentment in the case of Connecticut attorney Eric Parham with regard to his own divorce.
The grievance committee wrote that Parham "knowingly disobeyed an obligation under the rules of a tribunal … by failing to comply with court orders." The matter was heard in a Canadian court. The mother of Parham's child resides in Ottawa.
The grievance committee found Parham is $58,227 in arrears in his court-ordered child support payments to his minor child and has unpaid court-ordered costs of $69,520.
Musa Sebadduka
In the case of Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel v. Musa P. Sebadduka, Hartford Superior Court Judge David Sheridan imposed several actions against the West Hartford-based attorney pursuant to four different grievance complaints.
In the grievance complaint of Hidaya Walker which revolved around an immigration matter, Sheridan suspended Sebadduka from practicing law for 18 months, effective Nov. 20, and ordered the attorney to make a $6,000 restitution to Walker. Sheridan found Sebadduka "failed to take any meaningful action on behalf of Ms. Walker for a period of two years." Walker, the court noted, was eventually deported to her native country of Tanzania.
In the grievance complaint of Marlenis Rodriguez, which revolved around a divorce matter, Sheridan suspended Sebadduka from practicing law for one year, commencing immediately on the completion of the suspension in the Walker case. In addition, the judge ordered the attorney to make a $2,000 restitution to Rodriguez. Among other things, Sheridan said the attorney had said he filed Rodriguez' divorce action "which was untrue" and the conduct involved was dishonesty and fraud.
In the grievance complaint of Rosendo Palacios, which revolved around an immigration matter, Sheridan suspended Sebadduka from practicing law for 30 days, commencing immediately on the completion of the suspension in the Rodriguez case. In the Palacios matter, Sebadduka admitted that once the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed an appeal by Palacios, who was ordered removed to Peru, it was possible to appeal that ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. However, the attorney conceded he never discussed that option with his client.
In the grievance complaint of Andrew Fitzsimons, which revolved around a personal injury case, Sheridan suspended Sebadduka from practicing law for four months, commencing immediately on the completion of the suspension in the Palacios case. In addition, the attorney was ordered to pay Fitzsimons $2,215 in restitution. At issue was a settlement in a case involving chiropractic treatment in which the attorney did not disburse all of the money in a case that settled to a client.
Walter Shalvoy Jr.
The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel set conditions for Newtown-based solo practitioner Walter Shalvoy Jr., in a complaint filed against him on behalf of Michael Kaufman.
A grievance panel within the Statewide Grievance Committee found Shalvoy violated the Rules of Professional Conduct dealing with misconduct and diligence.
Shalvoy must now take three hours of continuing legal education in IOLTA account management.
No one from the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel was available Thursday to elaborate on the matter.
Jodi Zils Gagne
In the case of Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel v. Jodi Zils Gagne, New Britain Superior Court Judge Lisa Kelly Morgan issued a reprimand of disbarred Bristol attorney Jodi Zils Gagne.
The reprimand comes in the wake of the disbarment and a sentence of a 46-month prison term for Zils Gagne, who was charged with stealing more than $169,000 from clients while she served as a court-appointed conservator. Zils Gagne was tasked with overseeing the financial or personal affairs of incapacitated adults.
Related stories:
2 Connecticut Attorneys Disciplined, 1 Placed on Inactive Status
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Trump's DOJ Delays Releasing Jan. 6 FBI Agents List Under Consent Order
3 minute read
DC Lawsuits Seek to Prevent Mass Firings and Public Naming of FBI Agents
3 minute read
Trending Stories
- 1Eliminating Judicial Exceptions: The Promise of the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act
- 2AI in Legal: Disruptive Potential and Practical Realities
- 3One Court’s Opinion on Successfully Bankruptcy Proofing a Borrower
- 4Making the Case for Workflow Automation
- 5Copyright Infringement by Generative AI Tools Under US and UK Law: Common Threads and Contrasting Approaches
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
