Arrest warrant issued for Connecticut lawyer after he failed to appear at disciplinary hearing
A judge has ordered the arrest of a Connecticut lawyer who failed to appear at his own disciplinary hearing.
Waterbury attorney Raymond Kotulski had been ordered to appear at a hearing last week before Waterbury Superior Court Judge Mark Taylor, the Connecticut Law Tribune reports.
Kotulski was already facing contempt charges for not turning over client files to another lawyer acting as a trustee. He had been ordered to appear in court June 25 with his clients’ files or with a note from a licensed medical or mental health professional.
Officials in the state Office of the Disciplinary Counsel said they had started getting complaints from Kotulski’s clients last year that he was not showing up for court dates. In December, chief disciplinary counsel Patricia King filed a presentment against Kotulski and placed him on inactive status.
Waterbury attorney Jerry Attanasio, the lawyer serving as trustee, told the Law Tribune in an email he has received “little or no cooperation” from Kotulski.
“My office receives calls from Kotulski clients daily inquiring about their case, of which we do not have a file for,” Attanasio wrote. “It is very frustrating and has prolonged an already long process.”
Attanasio also said that Kotulski had recently been charged with disorderly conduct. He also said surveillance footage has surfaced of Kotulski removing computers and large file boxes from his office.
“I have had no communication with Raymond and have been told that he cannot be found and does not have a cellphone,” Attanasio wrote.
