Admission Denied: Candor Issue Cited

An application for bar admission had been dismissed by the full Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

The court found a lack of candor in connection with a long-running family litigation

Chalupowski, along with her husband, initiated several lawsuits against lawyers, judges, and court-appointed individuals stemming from the litigation involving her husband’s family.

Chalupowski, in short, views herself as a victim — she claims that the lawyers and court personnel conspired to create a “fee generation” scheme using “dupe” litigants — and her response to court decisions adverse to her and her husband is to blame the lawyers and other court personnel by claiming that they were engaged in fraudulent activity. Chalupowski and her husband did not prevail on any of the claims raised in these lawsuits. Rather, they were sanctioned in connection with their actions on more than one occasion, the lawsuits having been deemed frivolous, including an order from the Probate and Family Court enjoining them from initiating certain litigation.

There was a candor problem

Although she disclosed some information regarding lawsuits and court proceedings in which she was involved, the disclosure was far from complete. Furthermore, in her brief to this court Chalupowski has made no attempt to address or explain this failure. Instead, she continues to focus on perceived wrongdoings in the litigation involving her husband’s family, the substantive merits of which have no bearing on her application or admission to the bar. Indeed, this very focus on that litigation — litigation that has led to sanctions against her — is, in turn, an example of Chalupowski’s lack of respect for the legal system, which is also of concern. Chalupowski appears unable to exercise restraint and to accept certain decisions as final, instead continuing to seek recourse by raising frivolous claims against attorneys and court personnel in response to adverse judgments. Engaging in this type of litigation is not an indication of good judgment or professionalism.

(Mike Frisch)