Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel v. Miller, 335 Conn. 474 (2020)

Citation: Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel v. Miller, 335 Conn. 474 (2020)
Parent Document: Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel v. Miller, 335 Conn. 474 (2020)
Jurisdiction: Connecticut (state)
Effective Date: 2020-04-27
Original Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4801014/office-of-chief-disciplinary-co... ↗

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roborating this allegation. See Rules of Professional
Conduct 8.2 (a).14
The respondent also referenced an incident in the
Cimmino matter in which her client had received a
favorable jury verdict. She alleged that after confront-
ing Judge Bellis about having communications with
opposing counsel in a different matter, the trial judge
in Cimmino appeared to have a discussion with Judge
Bellis about Cimmino and that the jury verdict was
set aside shortly thereafter. [Respondent’s Ex. G]. In
support of this claim, the respondent testified, ‘‘[i]n my
mind, it appeared to me that the change was because of
a conversation I had with Judge Bellis.’’ [Tr. 4 112:12–13,
Miller]. In her posthearing brief, the respondent referred
to it as ‘‘an unexplainable reversal’’ and that ‘‘[t]here is
a reasonable inference that this request came at the
request of the presiding judge.’’ [Respondent’s posthear-
ing brief, p. 12]. The clear implication is that Judge
Bellis persuaded or pressured a trial judge to reverse
a jury’s decision and to have the verdict set aside. No
other evidence was presented in support of this claim.
The court gives little weight to this testimony as it is
simply rank speculation and opinion on her part.
Lastly, the court may consider the respondent’s expe-
rience in the practice of law. The respondent has been
an attorney since 1980 and has been a solo practitioner
in Connecticut since 2002. [Respondent’s Ex. K].15 She
has practiced in both federal and state court and worked
for executive agencies at the state and federal level.
14
Rule 8.2 (a) of the Rules of Professional Conduct provides: ‘‘A lawyer
shall not make a statement that the lawyer knows to be false or with reckless
disregard as to its truth or falsity concerning the qualifications or integrity
of a judge, adjudicatory officer or public legal officer, or of a candidate for
election or appointment to judicial or legal office.’’ Such comments are
sufficient on their own to establish a basis for discipline of an attorney. See
Statewide Grievance Committee v. Burton, 299 Conn. 405, 413, 10 A.3d
507 (2011).
15
See footnote 3 above.
November 3, 2020 CONNECTICUT LAW JOURNAL Page 75

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