Legal Ethics

Attorney Disciplined For Calling Boss A Liar On Zoom Call

Unclear if he thought he was on mute...

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It’s basically every Zoom-fueled nightmare over the last four months — what would happen if you spoke your mind, but it turned out you weren’t on mute. And you called your boss a liar. And it turned out it was a public call. Yikestown.

That’s what happened to Mark Brodsky, a senior assistant state’s attorney in Hartford, Connecticut, during a June 26th reappointment hearing for Hartford State’s Attorney Gail Hardy. During that hearing, Hardy was asked how many cases she’s taken to trial, and she responded an estimate of a maximum of three trials a year. After that answer, Brodsky could be heard on the Zoom call saying, “Oh, come on … liar.”

So, yeah, he’s in some hot water for that. Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo Jr. reprimanded Brodsky, forcing him to forfeit two vacation days, and writing in the reprimand:

“It is very important for you to keep in mind that as prosecutors, we are judged not only on our behavior during the workday, but also for how we conduct ourselves outside of the workplace. Your actions and the public comments during the hearing on June 26 not only reflected poorly on you but on the division as well. As ministers of justice, we have an obligation to act professionally at all times.”

Hardy has since withdrawn from seeking reappointment, and she’ll have “a new role in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney to foster diversity in the Division of Criminal Justice.”

headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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