N.Y. Lawyer Suspended for 3 Years Over False Claim of Being Married to Judge
A New York lawyer with no prior disciplinary history has been suspended for three years after she repeatedly refused to get a required mental health examination concerning her false claims to be the wife of Queens Supreme Court Administrative Judge Jeremy Weinstein.
Cheryl Brodsky had contended that the grievance committee handling her disciplinary case didn’t have the power to order her to get a mental health evaluation, even though the examination was court-ordered in January 2007. However, a Brooklyn panel of the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division did not agree. In a June 16, 2009 opinion and order, it suspended Brodsky, noting that she had not defended the disciplinary matter, reports the New York Law Journal in an article reprinted by New York Lawyer (reg. req.).
Brodsky’s matrimonial masquerade came to light after she applied for a court attorney position. Late for a panel interview, she rescheduled and, chatting briefly with Paul Kenny, who is now chief clerk of the Appellate Term, about mutual acquaintances, she mentioned Weinstein and submitted a resumé in which she identified herself by the last name “Brodsky-Weinstein.” When Kenny checked references, he learned she wasn’t married to Weinstein and filed the grievance.
