A securities plaintiffs lawyer was suspended from the New York bar for four months after a panel of judges found that his drunken assault on a woman was more serious than other cases that only led to a censure.

John Brandon Walker, a partner at 12-lawyer Bragar, Eagel & Squire, was suspended for four months by the Appellate Division, First Department on Tuesday. A woman testified that Walker "grabbed her by the neck, choked her, threw her on the floor and kicked her rib cage," causing her to fear for her life.

The lawyer had testified that he was blackout drunk and does not remember the alleged assault. While Walker had asked that the First Department panel impose a censure, as recommended by the referee who reviewed the evidence in his disciplinary case, the judges said a four-month suspension was appropriate.