Partner reprimanded after taking plea in attorney email hacking case, has also settled lawsuit
Originally charged with multiple felonies, a partner in a Michigan law firm took a misdemeanor plea in a case in which he was accused of hacking into a fellow attorney’s personal email account and has been reprimanded by a state attorney discipline board for his conduct.
Steven F. Spender also settled earlier this year on undisclosed terms a related lawsuit filed by an attorney formerly employed by his firm, Spender & Robb. It contended that her username and password were entered on computers owned by the law firm and Spender to access her email, according to MLive.com.
An earlier MLive.com article provides additional details. Attorney Dawn Weier’s lawsuit said that state police conducted a DNA test on an envelope containing a copy of a personal email placed by Spender in the mailbox of Weier’s husband and another woman, and the test matched Spender. The suit also alleged that Spender & Robb hurt Weier’s employment prospects by advising other firms not to hire her after she departed.
Spender declined to comment about the Genesee County cases when contacted by MLive.com. He was given 500 hours of community service in the misdemeanor case, and ordered to pay $2,000 in that case and another $2,400 to cover the costs of the legal ethics matter.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer Accused of Breaking Into Ex-Employee’s Personal Email Is Barred From Using Computer at Work”
