MADISON, Wis. (WTAQ) - The attorney for the domestic abuse victim who received racy text messages from prosecutor Ken Kratz says he’s been hesitant to file a civil suit.
But Michael Fox says such a lawsuit is more likely, after the state Crime Victims’ Rights Board said this week it did not have the power to punish Kratz.
Fox said crime victims have protections against bureaucratic abuses – but after no agency has punished Kratz for what he did, Fox wonders if those protections are really in place.
The Justice Department said Kratz’s actions did not constitute a crime, and the Office of Lawyer Regulation said Kratz did not break ethics rules – although it agreed to review the matter again now that it’s become a public controversy.
Kratz chaired the Crime Victims’ Rights Board until he stepped down last December at the urging of the Justice Department. This week, the board said Kratz was less than candid when he told them about the text messages he sent Stephanie Van Groll last fall.
The board was criticized for not taking action against Kratz, but it said the law does not allow it to consider gender discrimination or sexual harassment.
