People v. Matthews.

No. 23PDJ032. 7/11/2023. Stipulation to Discipline.

August 11, 2023

The Presiding Disciplinary Judge approved the parties’ stipulation to discipline and suspended Glen Edward Matthews (attorney registration number 49915) for six months, all to be stayed upon Matthews’s successful completion of a three-year period of probation, with conditions. The probation was effective on August 15, 2023.

From February to May 2022, Matthews sent texts, emails, and a voice message to his spouse’s former husband that included vulgar and demeaning references to the former husband’s genitalia, homophobic insults, threats of criminal prosecution, threats regarding the former husband’s license to practice law, and thinly veiled threats of physical violence. The communications included an email that Matthews sent to the former husband’s employer from a fictitious email account that implied it was associated with disciplinary authorities. The email, which did not reach the employer due to email spam filters, contained allegations that the former husband was engaged in unethical conduct and facing criminal charges.

In May 2022, the former husband filed for a temporary restraining order against Matthews. Later that month, the former husband obtained a permanent protection order against Matthews after a hearing during which Matthews admitted to sending the communications and creating the fictitious email account.

Through this conduct, Matthews violated Colo. RPC 8.4(a) (it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to violate or attempt to violate the Rules of Professional Conduct or knowingly induce others to do so); Colo. RPC 8.4(c) (it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation); and Colo. RPC 8.4(h) (it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in any conduct that directly, intentionally, and wrongfully harms others and that adversely reflects on the lawyer’s fitness to practice law).