Reciprocal Suspension For Frivolous Litigation

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has imposed reciprocal discipline based on an attorney’s suspension by the Minnesota Supreme Court.

The attorney had accumulated a record of disciplinary sanctions in both jurisdictions.

In Wisconsin, he had one private and two public reprimands as well as a prior one-year suspension.

In Minnesota

In the Minnesota proceeding giving rise to this reciprocal discipline case, the Minnesota Supreme Court noted that Attorney Selmer had been disciplined in Minnesota on four prior occasions.

Here, the misconduct in Minnesota led to findings

that Attorney Selmer filed ten separate lawsuits in two different counties, the court of appeals, and a Minnesota federal district court, and then repeatedly failed to obey court orders, appear for hearings, or otherwise respond to pleadings and discovery requests. All ten lawsuits were dismissed based either on the frivolity of Attorney Selmer’s arguments or because he failed to comply with court rules. The court noted that two of Attorney Selmer’s four prior Minnesota disciplinary proceedings were for similar conduct, engaging in a pattern of harassing and frivolous litigation.

The court here rejected his contentions against reciprocal discipline

Attorney Selmer has wholly failed to provide any claim predicated upon the grounds set forth in SCR 22.22(3) indicating that imposition of the identical discipline or license suspension by this court would be unwarranted.

Finally, notwithstanding Attorney Selmer’s unsupported and conclusory denials, the record supports the OLR’s assertion that Attorney Selmer failed to timely notify OLR of his suspension in Minnesota, which constitutes misconduct pursuant to SCR 22.22(1).

The court imposed a 12-month suspension. (Mike Frisch)