NY Lawyer Falsely Accuses State Trooper of Using Anti-Semitic Slur, Loses Law License for 6 Months
A New York lawyer has lost his license to practice for six months, for falsely accusing a New Jersey state trooper of using anti-Semitic language and displaying a “demeaning attitude” during a 2007 traffic stop.
The trooper was wearing a microphone, and the traffic stop was recorded on video. Attorney Eliot Dear eventually admitted he concocted the story to try to beat a speeding ticket, Reuters reports.
Yesterday, the New York Appellate Division, First Department, denied Dear’s request that the penalty be reduced to a private reprimand or censure.
“Here, respondent cavalierly attributed anti-Semitic slurs to an innocent person in a manner which could have had devastating consequences to that person’s career,” said the appeals court in its written opinion. “Notwithstanding the mitigating evidence and respondent’s apparently sincere remorse, his behavior was reckless and reflects poorly on the bar.”
A disciplinary committee had recommended a two-year suspension of Dear’s law license.
A New York Personal Injury Blog post includes the text of Dear’s letter and provides a link to the court’s opinion.
