Muttering, Scoffing Lawyer Gets Suspension

Chicago-area lawyer Alison Motta rolled her eyes, scoffed, and at one point muttered, “F—— bull—-“ during a trial, which was enough to get her slapped with a 90-day suspension by the Northern District of Illinois’ Executive Committee. “Not only are witnesses thrown off balance when the opposing lawyer visibly reacts to testimony (such as by rolling her eyes), a lawyer’s outright defiance of a trial judge’s decision endangers the judge’s control of the courtroom,” the committee wrote. Motta will also be barred from participating as lead attorney in any full trials for a year, and must take ethics and professionalism classes. The ruling was forwarded to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, which could decide to impose further sanctions. Motta “sincerely regrets that she projected her frustration with the system in her demeanor in the way the judge described,” her attorney, James Doppke, said in a statement to the Chicago Tribune.