State Employee Attorney Reprimanded For Posting Answers For Profit

In a case that likely will trigger waves of fear throughout the public sector, an attorney was recently publicly reprimanded by the Kentucky Supreme Court.

The attorney was a state government employee. He used his personal laptop computer at work to post answers on JustAnswer.com. He posted the answers for a profit.

To make matters worse, the attorney also used his office Westlaw account on 36 occasions to search for the information that he posted. The attorney disputed the number of searches but conceded that he had violated Rule 8.4(c) by his conduct.

The court noted that the conduct did not interfere with the attorney's discharge of his public duties.

The attorney and the Executive Branch Ethics Commission entered into a settlement agreement that fined him $2,000. (Mike Frisch)