Ethics Complaint is Filed against Lawyer Accused of Keying Marine’s Car

A Chicago lawyer convicted of criminal damage to property for keying a Marine’s car has been charged in an ethics complaint.

Chicago lawyer Jay R. Grodner is accused in the complaint of scraping a metal object on the 2002 BMW of Sgt. Michael McNulty, causing $2,500 worth of damage. Grodner reportedly told McNulty, "Just because you are in the military you don’t run the roost!"

News reports following the incident said Grodner apparently became angry after McNulty backed up to make a turn. McNulty parked to get a friend to go out for breakfast and saw Grodner by his car when he returned. The BMW had a Marine license plate and bumper stickers.

McNulty accused Grodner of scratching his car, prompting the anti-military comment, according to the earlier report. The ethics complaint says Grodner was sentenced to one year of supervision, 30 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $600 in restitution in a January court hearing.

The complaint also accuses Grodner of neglecting two family law matters in 2005 and 2006. In interviews with a Tribune columnist, Grodner’s friends had described him as a man with passionate feelings who ran into difficult circumstances that forced him to file for bankruptcy in 2004.

Hat tip to Legal Profession Blog, which posted the complaint.