Title: Office of Lawyer Regulation v. John A. Krueger

State: wisconsin

Issuer: Wisconsin Supreme Court

Document:

2004 WI 141 
 
 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
 
 
 
CASE NO.: 
04-2496-D 
COMPLETE TITLE: 
 
 
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings 
Against John A. Krueger, Attorney at Law: 
 
Office of Lawyer Regulation,  
          Complainant, 
 
     v. 
 
John A. Krueger,  
          Respondent. 
 
 
 
 
DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS AGAINST KRUEGER 
 
 
OPINION FILED: 
November 17, 2004   
SUBMITTED ON BRIEFS: 
        
ORAL ARGUMENT: 
        
 
 
SOURCE OF APPEAL: 
 
 
COURT: 
        
 
COUNTY: 
        
 
JUDGE: 
        
 
 
 
JUSTICES: 
 
 
CONCURRED: 
        
 
DISSENTED: 
        
 
NOT PARTICIPATING:         
 
 
 
ATTORNEYS: 
 
      
 
 
2004 WI 141 
 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTICE 
This order is subject to further 
editing and modification.  The 
final version will appear in the 
bound volume of the official 
reports.   
 
 
 
No.  04-2496-D  
 
 
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings 
Against John A. Krueger, Attorney at Law: 
 
Office of Lawyer Regulation,  
          Complainant, 
 
     v. 
 
John A. Krueger,  
          Respondent. 
 
FILED 
 
NOV 17, 2004 
 
Cornelia G. Clark 
Clerk of Supreme Court 
Madison, WI 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Court entered the following order on this date: 
 
On September 22, 2004, the Office of Lawyer Regulation 
(OLR) filed a disciplinary complaint against Attorney John A. 
Krueger asking this court to impose reciprocal discipline 
identical to that imposed on Attorney Krueger by the Minnesota 
Supreme 
Court. 
 
That 
court 
suspended 
Attorney 
Krueger’s 
Minnesota law license for 30 days, effective July 26, 2004.  On 
September 23, 2004, this court issued an order to show cause 
directing Attorney Krueger to show cause in writing by October 
13, 2004 why the imposition of the identical discipline imposed 
by the Minnesota Supreme Court would be unwarranted.  Attorney 
Krueger failed to respond to the order to show cause. 
 
Attorney Krueger was admitted to practice law in Wisconsin 
in 1991 and he became licensed to practice law in Minnesota in 
1990.   
 
The 30-day suspension in Minnesota resulted from misconduct 
involving:  notarizing a client release that contained a forged 
No. 04-2496-D    
 
2 
client signature; endorsing settlement checks that contained a 
forged client signature and withdrawing attorney’s fees from the 
settlement proceeds; failure to supervise a non-lawyer employee 
thus enabling the employee to negotiate and settle personal 
injury claims on behalf of a deceased client and to secure the 
forged client signatures on the release and settlement checks; 
and failure to timely-file state and federal income tax returns 
in 1996 and 1997. 
 
SCR 22.22(3) provides that this court shall impose the 
identical discipline or license suspension unless the procedure 
in the 
other 
jurisdiction 
was so 
lacking 
in 
notice or 
opportunity to be heard as to constitute a due process 
violation; there was such an infirmity of proof establishing the 
misconduct that this court should not accept as final the 
misconduct finding; or the misconduct justifies substantially 
different discipline here.  Neither OLR nor Attorney Krueger 
contend, nor does this court find, that any of these three 
exceptions exist.  
 
Accordingly, 
 
IT IS ORDERED that the license of John A. Krueger to 
practice law in the State of Wisconsin be suspended for 30 days, 
effective the date of this order; 
 
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Attorney Krueger shall comply, 
if he has not already done so, with the requirements of SCR 
22.26 pertaining to activities following suspension. 
 
 
 
No. 04-2496-D    
 
2