Lawyer Told Prosecutor She ‘Doesn’t Know How To Act Like A Young Lady,’ Ethics Complaint Says
A prominent metro Detroit attorney is facing new claims of professional misconduct for allegedly mouthing off to a young female prosecutor and then, in a Facebook rant, misrepresenting what happened, the Detroit Free Press reports.
The complaint filed by the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission accuses Clifford Woodards II of discourteous and unprofessional behavior in his March 2018 encounter with the prosecutor in Detroit’s 36th District Courthouse.
According to the complaint, Woodards challenged the prosecutor, Heather Washington over a plea deal for his client in a traffic case. After she declined to agree to the deal without seeing the client’s driving record, Woodards acted aggressively, the complaint says.
According to the complaint:
Respondent said to Ms. Washington, something to the effect: “Little girl don’t talk to me and move out of my face” and/or “You need to back up little girl and know your place.”
Also:
Respondent told Ms. Washington that she “doesn’t know how to act like a young lady, acting immature.”