Beloit attorney faces two-month license suspension

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A Beloit attorney faces a two-month license suspension over allegations that she had used money in her trust account to pay her real estate taxes and office rent.

The Office of Lawyer Regulation filed a complaint on Sept. 27 charging Suzanne Kitto with five counts of misconduct, all of which stemmed from collection work she had done starting in 2013 on a land contract for a couple.

The OLR alleges that Kitto agreed to take 10 percent of the payments on the contract as her attorneys’ fees, then used the remaining money to cover the couple’s real estate taxes and mortgage and property-insurance payments.

Kitto collected the payments on the contract in her trust account, alleges the OLR, but instead of paying it to the designated third parties, used more than $10,000 of it to pay back debts, her own real estate taxes and her office rent. By September of last year, Kitto should have had $10,200 for the couple in her trust account. Instead, she only had $884.91, according to the complaint.

Kitto paid back some of the money, but the OLR alleges she still owes the couple $1,674.93. The agency is asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to suspend Kitto’s license for 60 days.

Kitto declined on Tuesday to comment on the complaint.

Kitto earned her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1972. Her license is active and in good standing, according to the Wisconsin State Bar and OLR websites.

Once the OLR has served her with a complaint, Kitto has 20 days to respond. A referee will first weigh in on the case and make a recommendation as to whether misconduct was committed, whether discipline is appropriate and what costs and restitution Kitto should pay. The Wisconsin Supreme Court will review those findings and issue a final decision in the matter. Follow @erikastrebel