Scott Hattrup, a Johnson County attorney and unsuccessful Republican candidate for the Kansas statehouse and for Johnson County District Attorney, is in the Johnson County jail on civil contempt charges for failing to comply with a divorce decree from April 2008.
Hattrup was ordered on July 29 "to enter into and execute a contract to list for a sale" a house at 11925 West 92nd Terrace in Lenexa. He didn't do it, so the Johnson County Sheriff threw him in jail. He'll stay there until he complies with a court order.
This morning, Hattrup was supposed to appear at an ethics hearing before the Office of Disciplinary Administrator, which hears complaints against lawyers in the state of Kansas. But it doesn't appear that Hattrup has been released from jail.
The hearing is being rescheduled.
Update: Hattrup was released from jail Friday.
Hattrup appeared before the disciplinary administrator in July 2008 to answer an ethics complaint. The disciplinary administrator could seek a
suspension of Hattrup's attorney's license or disbarment.
An
ethics panel was to hear three complaints against Hattrup: Two filed by
Lisa Daniels and one by former Kansas lawmaker Patricia Kilpatrick.
Lisa Daniels alleges in her complaint that Hattrup didn't complete
paperwork
so she never received child support payments. She also claims that she
gave Hattrup all of her husband's guns, but Hattrup never gave her a
receipt for the guns. She claims Hattrup didn't return all of their
property, and they had to file a police report with the Overland Park
Police Department.
The complaint filed by the disciplinary administrator's office says
Hattrup never responded to the complaint.
Lisa Daniels' second complaint against Hattrup was filed in June 2007 for
representing another man in small-claims court against her husband, Rob
Daniels. Lisa Daniels claims Hattrup had a conflict of interest due to
duties to her as a former client.
"Scott's behavior in Lisa and his rep of Lisa are not isolated or
unique; this is the way he practices law," Rob Daniels tells The Pitch.
"if someone doesn't file a complaint and go through with it, he's going
to keep practicing law in the same way."
In
a complaint filed with the disciplinary administrator in May 2008,
Kilpatrick claims that Hattrup pursued her romantically, even showing up
at her home uninvited at late hours (she
wasn't interested) while representing her in a case before the Kansas
Governmental Ethics Commission. Kilpatrick claims Hattrup agreed to a
$45,000 fine without her knowledge. She also claims Hattrup violated
attorney-client privilege by disclosing information before a group of
people. She also claims Hattrup wouldn't return her case files after
she fired him.
Rob
Daniels says the disciplinary administrator told him that he was trying
to get immediate temporary suspension of Hattrup's law license on the
docket for the Kansas Supreme Court on September 21.
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