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6 ¦ JUNE 15, 2020 NEWS

¦ From ATTORNEY on PAGE 1 Meanwhile, he explained on his blog: ”There
statement amid litigation from victims’ families. are no slaves in my past, and our struggles felt far
Pattis withdrew from that case in May, declining to from privileged. I’m just not buying the identitar-
comment on the matter. ian project. … Don’t tell me who you are, show
The New Haven attorney also has represented me what you can do. We’ve become a nation of
high-profile clients, such as Fotis Dulos, who was poseurs.”
accused of killing his wife. That case drew national “More than a thousand people are killed each
attention until Dulos killed himself in late January. year by the police. Most are white. Most suffer from
mental illness,” he wrote. “But I am not viewing the
‘Self-indulgent’
“I watch this week’s looting and rioting, and won- death that spawned this week’s events as a sign of
der what’s become of the America I was taught to an epidemic of racial violence. What I know of the
regard as home,” Pattis wrote on his blog. “Yes, a man country’s history tells me that we are doing better
was killed by the police; it appears senseless. It may than ever on race. There are no slaves. Jim Crow is
well be based on race. But burning property, beating dead.”
strangers, strutting the streets chanting, ‘no justice, ‘Nonsense’
no peace,’ seems less a plea for social justice than it Goldsby, who said she’s since been blocked from
does a self-indulgent form of special pleading.” Pattis’ LinkedIn page, wrote to him saying, “This is
His post drew a response from Goldsby, a trial at- the most white privilege nonsense I have ever read.
torney and diversity director of the Connecticut Bar If you want to understand why this is wrong and ac-
Association’s Young Lawyers Section. tually help eliminate racial injustice instead of being
Goldsby said Thursday she objected not only to a part of the problem, feel free to reach out.”
his blog, but his comments to her, which she called Goldsby said Pattis’ response “was totally disre-
“disrespectful.” spectful and bullying.”
“He essentially threatened me and my friend, and Pattis responded: “I suspect I would run circles
was nasty in the language he used,” she said. “He around you in my sleep. Be an entitled race pan-
blocked me, and sent me a private message saying derer. Pick up your bed and walk. Founder of Black
that I am ‘race pandering,’ told me to ‘pick up my Esquire? Show us what you can do not what you are.
bed and walk,’ and told me I had black entitlement.” Good riddance to you.”
In one exchange, Goldsby accused Pattis of mak- Goldsby disagreed.
ing threats. “The race pandering hash tag was disrespectful
“Black entitlement doesn’t work for me,” Pattis and inauthentic,” she said. “If anyone is race pander-
wrote. “Good riddance.” ing, it’s him.”
Goldsby wrote back, “I don’t take threats lightly. Goldsby said she decided to speak out because
You may want to relax.” Pattis “is holding himself out as an advocate for
Goldsby is the founder of Black Esquire LLC, a justice and the voice for freedom and he can’t have
membership-based organization aimed at helping these ideologies because they can’t co-exist with
minority lawyers and others achieve success in the each other.”
legal profession. Goldsby continued: “He is not acknowledging
“A lawyer who boasts of founding something his white privilege and not using his privilege in the
called Black Esquire just offered to help me get over right way. He was also outright rude in his conversa-
my white privilege,” Pattis wrote in the conversation, tion with me.”
which the other attorney captured via screenshot. ¦

“Seriously? #RacePandering.” Robert Storace covers legal trends, lawsuits and
Pattis was unapologetic.
analysis for the Connecticut Law Tribune. Follow
“When I hear male white privilege I lose interest,” him on Twitter @RobertSCTLaw or reach him at
he said Thursday. “It’s a form of race pandering.” 203-437-5950.

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