People v. Peter Wells Wasley. 24PDJ069. September 26, 2024.
The Presiding Disciplinary Judge approved the parties’ stipulation to discipline and suspended Peter Wells Wasley (attorney registration number 44139) for six months, all to be stayed upon Wasley’s successful completion of a two-year period of probation, with conditions. Wasley’s probation is effective September 26, 2024.
Wasley, a lawyer, was appointed as a Child & Family Investigator (“CFI”) in a domestic relations case in spring 2022. The father in the case petitioned for Wasley’s appointment. Wasley was given approximately four-and-one-half months to complete his CFI report; the court order establishing the report’s deadline was served on Wasley through the Colorado E-Filing System. To give Wasley time to complete his report, the court moved the dissolution and permanent orders hearing from May 2022 to late August 2022. The father and Wasley communicated during the early months of Wasley’s appointment; after that time, however, the father never heard from Wasley again. Wasley never processed the father’s payment nor met with the child, which was necessary to complete the report. Wasley did not submit the report by the court’s deadline or seek an extension.
In early August, the father moved to continue the dissolution and permanent orders hearing. Over the mother’s objection, the court continued the hearing to early January 2023 and ordered Wasley to submit the report in a few weeks’ time. Though Wasley was served with the order, he did not submit a report. The court issued a new deadline for the report; before that deadline arrived, the father moved to terminate Wasley’s appointment. As a result of Wasley’s failure to follow court orders, the case lasted an additional six months and resulted in additional stress and costs for the parties. Wasley was later suspended indefinitely from serving as a CFI in Denver District Court.
Through this conduct, Wasley violated Colo. RPC 3.4(c) (a lawyer must not knowingly disobey an obligation under the rules of a tribunal) and Colo. RPC 8.4(d) (it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct prejudicing the administration of justice).
The case file is public per C.R.C.P. 242.41(a).