It has been several months since my last update on the matters involving former state Ethics Chief Alan Plofsky and the strange case of the lawyer who penned an an
onymous letter complaining of Mr. Plofsky. (For background on the matters, you can find my prior posts here.)
The developments have been slow to occur, but an article last week in the Connecticut Law Tribune gives us some details. As to the lawyer that wrote the anonymous letter, state officials have suggested that she be given a reprimand:
State officials say Maureen Duggan should be reprimanded and ordered to attend legal ethics classes for writing a phony letter that helped bring down former Ethics Commission Director Alan S. Plofsky.
That’s the suggestion that Chief Disciplinary Counsel Mark Dubois made last Thursday to the Statewide Grievance Committee after an investigation into Duggan’s conduct dating to 2004. Duggan, a former attorney in Plofsky’s office, drafted a letter filled with typos to the ethics commission’s chairwoman describing how money was being wasted by the office and employees routinely left before the end of the workday. She made it appear that the unsigned letter was from a parking lot attendant.
Ms. Duggan also apologized for the incident, according to another report.
And what happened to the underlying case that was brought by the former state ethics chief against the state? The state moved for summary judgment early this year. However, the court has yet to rule on that motion. A decision is expected soon.
In the meantime, the parties filed a joint status report in mid-September which provides some further background in the case.