A former district attorney accused of a “sexting” scandal is asking the state Supreme Court to dismiss a complaint filed against him.
The Office of Lawyer Regulation wants the Supreme Court to suspend the law license of Ken Kratz, the former Calumet County DA accused of trying to start a sexual relationship with a domestic abuse victim.
The OLR re-opened an investigation into the alleged misconduct after racy text messages from Kratz were uncovered. It recommended a suspension this past November, because of the sexting incident and several other alleged cases.
In a filing with the court, Kratz argues the original allegations were dismissed and the board does not have the power to seek punishment now simply because of pressure from the public and state Legislature. Members of the OLR faced harsh criticism for originally failing to act on the allegations against Kratz.
Kratz also argues that several other cases of alleged misconduct cited by the OLR complaint should not be considered at all, because they were never formally reported and he has never been given an opportunity to defend himself. As a result, Kratz says there’s no proof he ever violated any professional code of conduct.