Vol. 78, No. 6, June
2005
Targeting Marty Kohler
No computer or Internet security system, no matter how sophisticated,
can prevent a determined person from electronically targeting or
stalking another person. Wisconsin attorney Martin Kohler and others
know this first-hand.
by George C. Brown
State Bar executive director
Late in May, I turned on my computer to discover hundreds of email
messages, mostly from people I didn't know, all written in German. Yet
another computer virus. The virus blocker prevented the attachments from
getting through, but the original messages made it through by the
hundreds.
Many of you probably experienced a similar event, recognized it for
what it was, worried about yet another virus, and hoped your day wasn't
going to be spent recovering files. Viruses and the malicious minds that
create them are some of the costs we face to gain the advantages
provided by today's technology.
Computer and Internet security is the single greatest concern among
information technology professionals nationwide. State Bar staff mirror
that concern. Security was a principal issue that we addressed before
launching the new WisBar Web site. That security is why it is virtually
impossible for someone to download an electronic copy of the entire list
of member email addresses or telephone numbers from the Lawyer Search
function and why members' personal information, such as the CLE courses
that you track via WisBar or your Social Security number listed in the
membership database, cannot be accessed by other people. Nor can someone
change your contact information via WisBar. The security systems in
place prevent the State Bar from spreading viruses that may be sent here
via email and they block attachments, such as those associated with the
recent German virus, from spreading into State Bar computers.
Unfortunately, no security system, no matter how sophisticated, can
prevent a misguided person who has patience, time, and a computer from
electronically targeting or stalking another person. Milwaukee attorney
Martin Kohler knows this first-hand.
Mark Inglin is a former client of Martin Kohler. Inglin kidnapped his
child during a custody dispute, was captured, and later was convicted of
his crime. Marty Kohler was his defense attorney. Now, Kohler is paying
the price of defending Inglin.
Inglin has twice brought complaints against Kohler to the Office of
Lawyer Regulation, and twice Kohler has been exonerated. For years,
Inglin distributed pamphlets denouncing Kohler, Milwaukee County Circuit
Court Judge David Hansher, and others in the justice system, to the
extent that Kohler felt compelled to sue Inglin for libel and then won a
judgment against him. Inglin has fled the country, and there is an
outstanding federal warrant for his arrest. He lives in Switzerland,
where he continues to stalk Kohler, Judge Hansher, and others via the
Internet.
You may have received one of Inglin's unsolicited emails. They are
headlined "Attorney Martin Kohler and Suspended Police Officer" or "The
Judge David Hansher Story: Trash on the Bench." I received one, as did
several State Bar staff members. So did the State Bar president. And,
judging by the number of emails sent to Martin Kohler over the last
several months informing him of the emails, so have hundreds of you.
Some members have expressed concern that Inglin hacked into the
membership database through WisBar to get the email addresses or that
the State Bar sold email addresses to him. Neither has happened. No one
has hacked into the database, and the State Bar does not sell email
addresses to anyone. Inglin appears to be sending his diatribes to
attorneys in selected geographic areas, disguising his mass email as a
personal message.
This misuse of email, then, becomes another cost of being accessible
via the Internet. The State Bar adds your email address to the Lawyer
Search function so other lawyers, the courts, and members of the public
can easily contact you. Some members have even asked to have their firm
Web sites linked to the Lawyer Search function.
But for all the good that this service provides, it also provides
opportunities for abuse and destruction, just as the Internet itself
provides opportunities for destructive behavior. So for now, know that
Kohler and Judge Hansher are fully aware of these emails and they would
appreciate you just deleting them. And know that Inglin's actions have
earned him another day in court on an intentional tort claim, and that
the federal government is trying to figure out how to make him stop.
Wisconsin Lawyer