In Matter of Stewart , Zelda Stewart's client was injured while crossing the street, and retained Stewart to file a personal injury lawsuit against the City of New York and another party. When those defendants asked the court to dismiss the case, Stewart failed to respond to the motion and the New York County Supreme Court granted that request on default.
After that occurred, the client filed a complaint against Stewart with the Departmental Disciplinary Committee (DDC) , and also sued Stewart for malpractice. While Stewart initially cooperated with the DDC , she failed to appear in the malpractice case and a default judgment of $50,000 was entered against her.
After neglecting to answer several letters, phone calls, and even a subpoena requiring her to appear at a deposition, the DDC recommended that Stewart be suspended from the practice of law.
As a result of her misconduct, the Appellate Division, First Department, "immediately" suspended Stewart while the DDC 's investigation continued.
De-faults lie with this lawyer.
To download a copy of the Appellate Division's decision, please use this link: Matter of Stewart