Lawyers in Detroit text case accused of misconduct

Five lawyers have been accused of misconduct for their roles in the settlement of lawsuits that ultimately led to the conviction of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, including the attorney who got the $8.4 million deal from the city.

Mike Stefani, who represented police officers in the settlement, "engaged in conduct that is contrary to justice, ethics, honesty or good morals," the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission said in a nine-page complaint.

He had obtained a trove of text messages, "irrefutable" evidence that Kilpatrick, a lawyer, committed perjury at a civil trial, but didn't notify the commission in a timely manner, investigators said.

Kilpatrick was sued by three police officers who claimed they were punished because they were investigating wrongdoing by his inner circle.

Stefani obtained messages revealing an affair between Kilpatrick and his chief of staff, Christine Beatty, a relationship that was denied at trial.

The Detroit City Council didn't know about the messages when it approved the multimillion-dollar settlement with the officers in October 2007.

Three months later, the Detroit Free Press published some, igniting a scandal that forced Kilpatrick from office and sent him and Beatty to jail for obstruction of justice.

The other lawyers charged with ethics violations are Sam McCargo, Wilson Copeland II, Valerie Colbert-Osamuede and John Johnson Jr.

None of the five immediately responded to messages seeking comment.

Each case will be assigned to separate three-member panels at the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board. Possible punishments include reprimand, suspension or disbarment.

Grievance administrator Robert Agacinski said he didn't think disbarment was likely. "These are serious cases, but we're talking about prominent attorneys with a history of representing their clients adequately," he said.