| ► Attorney George Koteas of Bridgeport, CT; ethical dwarf |
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Attorney George Koteas of Bridgeport, CT; ethical dwarf
The state of Connecticut provided George Koteas with a law license in 1981 after he graduated from the University of Bridgeport Law School.
The Statewide Grievance Committee found George guilty of the following misconduct.
In one matter, George was hired to represent a client in a personal injury case. The fee agreement stated that George would represent the client in regards to investigating her claims; however, it did not mention that in the event the case went to trial, the file would be referred to an outside law firm for litigation.
Two years later, George turned the client’s file over to the law firm of Palmesi, Kaufman, Goldstein and Petrucelli for litigation preparation. Attorney Palmesi and George agreed to split the fees if the client prevailed. George then sent a letter to the client telling her that Attorney Palmesi would be handling the paperwork for her lawsuit; however, he didn’t tell her that Palmesi was from another law firm and did not inform her of the fee splitting agreement.
Subsequently, the client’s physician, Dr. Carol Mancini received a letter from Attorney Palmesi stating he represented the client’s interest and requested her medical records. Palmesi was not the firm Dr. Mancini had a record of as representing the client and, therefore, his office telephone the client to verify the claims made in attorney Palmesi’s letter. Unaware of why Palmesi wanted her files, the client tried to contact George to discuss Palmesi’s letter. George’s assistant explained to the client that the Palmesi firm was merely helping out on the case. Subsequently, the client discussed the matter with George, who falsely characterized Palmesi’s role as investigative.
After the lawsuit was settled, George provided a settlement disbursement sheet to the client that showed attorney fees of $16,667; however, it failed to disclose that part of the fees were paid to Palmesi as required by the Rules of Conduct.
As a consequence of his misconduct, the enablers for Attorney Misfits sitting on the Statewide Grievance Committee punished George by gifting him with a complimentary reprimand.
As we speak (ca. October 2013) George practices at 1198 Main Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
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