A Manhattan corporate lawyer facing criminal charges for cyberstalking colleagues at K&L Gates wants an ankle monitor removed, saying the device weighing more than a third of a pound may have contributed to a hernia.
Lawyers for Willie Dennis, awaiting trial on four counts of federal cyberstalking, said Thursday that a doctor has recommended surgery to repair the hernia and suggested removing the ankle bracelet to reduce pain. They also renewed their request to Judge Lorna Schofield to end home detention.
Dennis worked as a corporate transactions partner for K&L Gates before being fired in 2019. He later accused the firm of discriminating against him and other Black partners.
Federal prosecutors asked Schofield to keep the monitor and home detention in place, alleging Dennis harassed, intimidated, and threatened partners through phone calls, email, and text messages.
“Victims have had to make serious changes to their and their families’ daily routines based on the defendant’s conduct,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Kushner wrote in a Wednesday filing. “They are terrified of what may happen if the defendant’s bracelet were to be removed.”
The case is U.S. v. Dennis, S.D.N.Y., No. 20-cr-00623, response filed 1/13/2022.
To contact the reporter on this story:
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:
See Breaking News in Context
Bloomberg Law provides trusted coverage of current events enhanced with legal analysis.
Already a subscriber?
Log in to keep reading or access research tools and resources.