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OLR alleges Fond du Lac attorney tried to bribe court assistant

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//June 9, 2015//

OLR alleges Fond du Lac attorney tried to bribe court assistant

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//June 9, 2015//

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A Fond du Lac attorney faces a private reprimand for allegedly attempting to bribe a judge’s court assistant.

Kirk Everson has been licensed to practice law in Wisconsin since 2000. He earned his law degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law. Everson’s license is in good standing, according to both the State Bar and Office of Lawyer Regulation. He has not previously been professionally disciplined.

Everson, reached Tuesday afternoon, said he had not seen the complaint and could not comment on it.

According to an Office of Lawyer regulation complaint filed May 28, Everson represented the defendant in City of Oshkosh vs. Michael Poklasny, which was scheduled to go to trial Sept. 30, 2013, before Winnebago County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Gritton. Everson was also hired in an unrelated criminal case and was to appear at a hearing in Vilas County at the same time.

According to the complaint, Everson filed a motion for a continuance in the Poklasny case on Sept. 26, 2013, and was informed by court assistant Susan Savage on Sept. 30, 2013, that the trial would not be rescheduled and that if Everson did not attend, she did not know what the consequence would be.

Everson did not appear in court, according to the complaint, and Savage called Everson to inform him that the court found his client guilty in default because neither Savage nor his client appeared in court, and that a sentencing date needed to be scheduled.

Later in the day on Sept. 30, 2013, according to the complaint, Everson went to the Winnebago County Courthouse Branch 1 office where Savage was working and attempted to give Savage a gift card, which she told him she would not accept.

Everson eventually took the gift card back, according to the complaint, and stated to Savage that he “felt like he was being railroaded.”

Savage informed Gritton about the incident, and the judge reported it to the OLR.

According to the complaint, the OLR is seeking that Everson be privately reprimanded for the alleged misconduct.

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