Title: Office of Lawyer Regulation v. David G. Dudas
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 2014AP001651-D
State: Wisconsin
Issuer: Wisconsin Supreme Court
Date: January 27, 2021

2021 WI 5 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
 
 
 
CASE NO.: 
2014AP1651-D 
 
 
 
COMPLETE TITLE: 
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings  
Against David G. Dudas, Attorney at Law: 
 
Office of Lawyer Regulation, 
          Complainant, 
     v. 
David G. Dudas, 
          Respondent. 
 
 
 
 
 
DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS AGAINST DUDAS 
 
 
OPINION FILED: 
January 27, 2021   
SUBMITTED ON BRIEFS: 
        
ORAL ARGUMENT: 
        
 
 
SOURCE OF APPEAL: 
 
 
COURT: 
        
 
COUNTY: 
        
 
JUDGE: 
        
 
 
 
JUSTICES: 
 
Per Curiam.  
NOT PARTICIPATING: 
        
 
 
 
ATTORNEYS: 
 
      
 
 
 
 
2021 WI 5
NOTICE 
This opinion is subject to further 
editing and modification.  The final 
version will appear in the bound 
volume of the official reports.   
No.  2014AP1651-D 
 
 
STATE OF WISCONSIN  
 
 
   : 
IN SUPREME COURT 
 
 
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings  
Against David G. Dudas, Attorney at Law: 
 
Office of Lawyer Regulation, 
 
          Complainant, 
 
     v. 
 
David G. Dudas, 
 
          Respondent. 
FILED 
 
JAN 27, 2021 
 
Sheila T. Reiff 
Clerk of Supreme Court 
 
 
 
 
ATTORNEY 
disciplinary 
proceeding.   Attorney's 
license 
revoked. 
 
¶1 
PER CURIAM.   We review a stipulation filed pursuant 
to Supreme Court Rule (SCR) 22.12 by the Office of Lawyer 
Regulation (OLR) and Attorney David G. Dudas.  In the 
stipulation, Attorney Dudas enters a no contest plea to the 
OLR's complaint and agrees that he committed the one count of 
professional misconduct alleged in the complaint, which was 
committing criminal acts that reflect adversely on his honesty, 
trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer in other respects.  
Attorney Dudas agrees that revocation of his license to practice 
No. 
2014AP1651-D   
 
2 
 
law in Wisconsin is a proper level of discipline for this 
misconduct.  
¶2 
After reviewing the matter, we approve the stipulation 
and revoke Attorney Dudas' license to practice law in this 
state.  We accede to the parties' request that the commencement 
date of the revocation be May 21, 2014, which was the date of 
the summary suspension of Attorney Dudas' law license.  Because 
this matter is being resolved without the appointment of a 
referee, we impose no costs on Attorney Dudas. 
¶3 
Attorney Dudas was admitted to practice law in 
Wisconsin in 1989.  He practiced in Stevens Point. 
¶4 
On August 16, 2013, Attorney Dudas was charged with 31 
criminal counts in Outagamie County Circuit Court.  On April 30, 
2014, following a trial, an Outagamie County jury found Attorney 
Dudas guilty of 30 criminal counts, including felony first-
degree sexual assault, felony second-degree reckless injury, 
felony substantial battery, 14 counts of felony second-degree 
sexual 
assault, 
11 
counts 
of 
felony 
strangulation 
and 
suffocation, one count of misdemeanor battery, and one count of 
misdemeanor intimidation of a victim. 
¶5 
Following the jury's verdict in the criminal case, the 
OLR moved pursuant to SCR 22.20 for a summary suspension of 
Attorney Dudas' Wisconsin law license.  On May 21, 2014, this 
court granted the motion and suspended Attorney Dudas' law 
license until further order of the court. 
¶6 
On July 16, 2014, the OLR filed a disciplinary 
complaint alleging that Attorney Dudas' criminal acts reflected 
No. 
2014AP1651-D   
 
3 
 
adversely on his honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a 
lawyer in other respects, in violation of SCR 20:8.4(b).1 
¶7 
Attorney Dudas pursued postconviction relief in the 
criminal case.  The parties filed a joint request for a stay of 
the disciplinary proceeding and the continuance of Attorney 
Dudas' summary suspension pending postconviction and appellate 
proceedings in the criminal case.  On January 12, 2015, this 
court granted the request, holding the disciplinary proceeding 
in abeyance and continuing the summary license suspension. 
¶8 
Attorney Dudas filed an appeal of his criminal 
convictions in December 2016.  The appeal was pending in the 
Wisconsin court system for years.  During that time, the OLR and 
Attorney Dudas, through counsel, communicated about the status 
of the appeal and whether Attorney Dudas would file an SCR 22.19 
petition for consensual license revocation or stipulate to the 
revocation of his license as sought by the OLR.  The OLR 
communicated to Attorney Dudas that should revocation be 
imposed, it would request this court to order the revocation to 
commence on May 21, 2014, the date the underlying related 
summary suspension had commenced. 
¶9 
The 
court 
of 
appeals 
affirmed 
the 
judgment 
of 
conviction on February 18, 2020.  On June 16, 2020, this court 
denied Attorney Dudas' petition for review. 
                                                 
1 SCR 20:8.4(b) provides:  "It is professional misconduct 
for a lawyer to commit a criminal act that reflects adversely on 
the lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer in 
other respects." 
No. 
2014AP1651-D   
 
4 
 
¶10 On July 14, 2020, this court ordered the parties to 
file a status report why the stay of the disciplinary proceeding 
should not be lifted.  The stay was lifted on October 21, 2020.  
The stipulation and no contest plea were filed on October 27, 
2020.  In the stipulation, Attorney Dudas acknowledges that to 
date the judgment of conviction remains unreversed following the 
completion of his direct appeal in state court.  He acknowledges 
that under the present state of his case the OLR could establish 
his violation of SCR 20:8.4(b). 
¶11 The stipulation states that Attorney Dudas answers the 
OLR's disciplinary complaint by entering a no contest plea, and 
he agrees that this court may use the allegations of the 
disciplinary complaint as an adequate factual basis for a 
determination of misconduct.  He states he enters into the 
stipulation to resolve the pending proceeding and enters the no 
contest plea to the misconduct allegation for purposes of 
professional discipline only.  He states he reserves his right 
to pursue collateral challenges to his criminal convictions in 
state or federal courts.  The stipulation avers that neither 
Attorney Dudas nor the OLR intend that the stipulation will 
impact future litigation in Attorney Dudas' criminal matter. 
¶12 The stipulation goes on to state that it does not 
result from plea-bargaining.  It notes that the OLR's position 
on sanction has remained constant throughout the proceeding. 
¶13 Attorney Dudas represents and verifies that he fully 
understands the misconduct allegation; that he fully understands 
the ramifications should this court impose the stipulated level 
No. 
2014AP1651-D   
 
5 
 
of discipline; that he fully understands his right to contest 
this matter; that he fully understands his right to consult with 
counsel and that he has had the benefit of advice of counsel 
throughout the proceeding; that his entry into the stipulation 
is made knowingly and voluntarily; and that his entry into the 
stipulation 
represents 
his 
decision 
not 
to 
contest 
the 
allegations in the complaint or the level and type of discipline 
sought by the OLR's director. 
¶14 Having 
reviewed 
the 
stipulation 
and 
the 
OLR's 
memorandum in support of the stipulation, we approve the 
stipulation and adopt the stipulated facts and legal conclusions 
of professional misconduct.  Given the extreme seriousness of 
the felony criminal convictions that underlie the misconduct 
allegation contained in the OLR's complaint, we agree that the 
revocation of Attorney Dudas' license to practice law in this 
state is an appropriate level of discipline.  Consistent with 
this court's treatment of discipline imposed in proceedings that 
are filed following an SCR 22.20 summary suspension, we agree 
that it is appropriate to set the commencement date of the 
revocation for May 21, 2014, the effective date of the 
underlying SCR 22.20 summary suspension.  See, e.g., In re 
Disciplinary Proceedings Against Washington, 2007 WI 65, 301 
Wis. 2d 47, 732 
N.W.2d 24; In re Disciplinary 
Proceedings 
Against Chvala, 2007 WI 47, 300 Wis. 2d 206, 730 N.W.2d 648.  In 
its memorandum in support of the stipulation, the OLR states the 
public will not be put at risk by a retroactive revocation 
commencement date since Attorney Dudas' Wisconsin law license 
No. 
2014AP1651-D   
 
6 
 
will remain revoked unless and until he is able to prove his 
fitness to regain his license in a reinstatement proceeding.  
Since this matter was resolved without the need for the 
appointment of a referee, no costs will be imposed. 
¶15 IT IS ORDERED that the license of David G. Dudas to 
practice law in Wisconsin is revoked, retroactive to May 21, 
2014. 
¶16 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, to the extent he has not 
already done so, David G. Dudas shall comply with the provisions 
of SCR 22.26 concerning the duties of a person whose license to 
practice law in Wisconsin has been revoked.   
 
No. 
2014AP1651-D   
 
 
 
1