Lawyer is suspended partly for his 'racist, sexist, homophobic and offensive' language
A New York appeals court has ordered a three-month suspension for a lawyer who “spewed racist, sexist, homophobic and offensive epithets against other attorneys” in traffic court.
The July 28 decision by the Appellate Division, First Department, said the lawyer, Eamon Teague, should also continue anger management treatment. The Legal Profession Blog has highlights.
Besides making inappropriate remarks to other lawyers, Teague also improperly asked traffic court clerks to recalendar cases even when told it could not be done, and made “vituperative and unseemly remarks” to two administrative law judges, a referee found.
Teague is a solo practitioner who primarily handles traffic matters in the Manhattan North and Bronx divisions of the Traffic Violations Bureau, according to the opinion. The referee said the work atmosphere at the TVB is generally unpleasant, and inappropriate language between lawyers there “appeared to be commonplace.”
The New York appeals court said inappropriate language by other lawyers in traffic court is not a mitigating factor or an excuse. Teague made comments “that any reasonable person, let alone a reasonable attorney, would know are simply unacceptable in public discourse,” the appeals court said.
The referee noted that Teague was active in his church, did pro bono work in traffic cases, and sought success on behalf of his clients. The referee had recommended Teague be “publicly sanctioned,” while a hearing panel reviewing the referee’s work recommended a one-month suspension. The appeals court said Teague should instead be suspended for three months “and until further order of this court.”
Teague was discussing the case with his lawyer and couldn’t immediately comment, according to a person who answered a phone call by the ABA Journal.
