Editor’s Note: Law Week Colorado edits court opinion summaries for style and, when necessary, length.
People v. Peter Wells Wasley
Peter Wasley was appointed as a child and family investigator in a domestic relations case in spring 2022. The father in the case petitioned for Wasley’s appointment. Wasley was given approximately four and a half months to complete his CFI report. The court order establishing the report’s deadline was served to Wasley through the Colorado E-Filing System.
To give Wasley time to complete his report, the court moved the dissolution and permanent orders hearing from May 2022 to late August 2022.
The father and Wasley communicated during the early months of Wasley’s appointment. But after that, the father never heard from Wasley again. Wasley never processed the father’s payment nor met with the child, which was necessary to complete the report. Wasley didn’t submit the report by the court’s deadline or seek an extension.
In early August, the father moved to continue the dissolution and permanent orders hearing. Over the mother’s objection, the court continued the hearing to early January 2023 and ordered Wasley to submit the report in a few weeks. Though Wasley was served with the order, he didn’t submit a report. The court issued a new deadline for the report. Before that deadline arrived, the father moved to terminate Wasley’s appointment. As a result of Wasley’s failure to follow court orders, the case lasted an additional six months and resulted in additional stress and costs for the parties, according to the disciplinary opinion. Wasley was later suspended indefinitely from serving as a CFI in Denver District Court.
The Presiding Disciplinary Judge approved Wasley’s stipulation to discipline and suspended him for six months, all to be stayed upon Wasley’s successful completion of a two-year conditional probation, effective Sept. 26.
People v. Linda Stanley
Following a disciplinary hearing, a hearing board majority disbarred Linda Stanley. Though the disbarment would ordinarily take effect on Oct. 15, in an amended opinion imposing sanctions, the disciplinary judge noted the actual effective date may be later by operation of state statute.
People v. Stephanie Fayth Long
This reciprocal discipline case arose out of discipline imposed on Stephanie Long by the Arizona Supreme Court’s Presiding Disciplinary Judge, who approved Long’s Arizona stipulation to discipline and issued a final judgment and order reprimanding Long on May 6.
Colorado’s Presiding Disciplinary Judge approved Long’s stipulation to discipline, imposed reciprocal discipline and publicly censured her, effective Sept. 25.
People v. John C. Heath
This reciprocal discipline case arose out of discipline imposed on John Heath by the Third Judicial District in Utah, which approved Heath’s Utah disciplinary stipulation and issued an order of discipline: probation, placing Heath on conditional probation for two years.
The Presiding Disciplinary Judge approved Heath’s stipulation to discipline, imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for six months, all to be stayed upon Heath’s successful completion of a two-year probation, conditioned on Heath’s compliance with the terms of his disciplinary probation in Utah. The probation took effect Sept. 27.
People v. Mark David Goldman
This reciprocal discipline case arose out of discipline imposed on Mark Goldman by the Arizona Supreme Court’s Presiding Disciplinary Judge, who issued a final judgment and order suspending Goldman from the practice of law in Arizona for three years on April 11.
Goldman’s discipline was premised on his failure to exercise reasonable diligence in client matters, his failure to communicate with clients and his abandonment of a client’s case. The discipline also took into account Goldman’s knowing failure to cooperate with Arizona disciplinary authorities’ investigations, even after Goldman was summarily suspended for that reason.
Through this conduct, Goldman engaged in conduct constituting grounds for reciprocal discipline, which calls for imposition of the same discipline as that imposed in Arizona.
The Presiding Disciplinary Judge entered default and imposed reciprocal discipline, suspending Goldman from the practice of law in Colorado for three years. Goldman’s suspension takes effect on Oct. 4. He is currently serving a 30-day suspension that took effect on Aug. 15.