(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Lawsuit against Office of the Public Defender lawyer settled, but with admissions – Daily Montanan [1] ['Keila Szpaller', 'More From Author', '- October'] Date: 2023-10-06 A lawyer with the Missoula Office of the Public Defender admitted — by failing to respond to questions in a lawsuit — she tried to take possession of a house without permission of its owner, according to a court order. By being unresponsive in court, the lawyer also admitted she never contracted with the owner to provide services despite recording construction liens against the home, according to court records. Last month, a Missoula County District Court judge granted the plaintiffs’ motion to dismiss the case, citing a settlement agreement. The case may not be filed again, but the details of the settlement were not made public. Earlier this year, property owner Joseph Bruno sued lawyer and public defender Scotti Ramberg, alleging she’d set up a couple of limited liability companies and used one of them to illegally record construction liens worth $109,000 against the home. The lawsuit said she filed the illegal liens knowingly or “with reckless disregard for the truth.” It also alleged Ramberg had taken control of the house and rented it out to at least one of her clients in the Office of the Public Defender. However, an earlier court order also found Ramberg, by failing to answer questions despite multiple extensions, admitted to “all facts and claims” alleged in the lawsuit. Missoula County Clerk and Recorder Tyler Gernant said Thursday both construction liens on Bruno’s property were released on Sept. 26 by Ramberg, acting as an individual and in her capacity as principal for SLR Investments. SLR was also a defendant in the lawsuit. Bruno is listed as the owner of the property, according to state property records. ​​A court order dated one day after the liens were released dismissed the case, granting the plaintiffs’ motion, signed by both parties. The order noted each side will bear its own costs. Ramberg has not returned calls requesting comment in the case. In an email she sent that’s attached to a court filing, she described family challenges in the period she was being asked to provide information in response to the lawsuit, including her grandmother’s death. Lawyer Gregory McDonnell, who represents Bruno and owner and plaintiff Laura Knight, also declined to comment. He said in an email “the claim was resolved to the mutual satisfaction of all parties.” However, court documents, including orders from the judge, show Ramberg, who is still working for the Office of the Public Defender, got sideways with the court leading up to dismissal and, by being unresponsive, admitted claims in the lawsuit. The Office of the Public Defender earlier said its supervisors investigate all allegations that would, if true, affect an employee’s ability to ethically practice law. The OPD also asked that Ramberg’s privacy be respected. “In consultation with our agency HR Department, OPD supervisors take appropriate corrective actions based on any proven violations of ethical rules or state or agency policy,” OPD spokesperson Andrea Moore said previously. Thursday, Moore confirmed Ramberg still worked at OPD but declined to offer additional comment. Ramberg is paid $43.68 an hour by the state, or an annual salary of $90,854, according to a state salary database. Court filings note Ramberg failed to respond to questions from the plaintiffs despite two extensions, and she conducted an inappropriate interview with Bruno in California, videotaping him without his knowledge and “in a position where he is not facing the camera.” In late 2005, Bruno and his brother bought the house in Missoula, 13137 Bunchgrass Lane, according to court records. After his brother died, Bruno moved to California, where he now lives. The house in Missoula was vacant. The lawsuit said the homeowners association filed a lien against the property for unpaid water usage through its attorney, Rufus Peace, who was admitted to the bar on the same day as Ramberg and has an address she uses. Peace earlier declined to comment on the case, and Ramberg earlier declined to comment on their relationship. The lawsuit alleged that shortly after the homeowners’ association lien was filed, Ramberg registered two entities with the Secretary of State, and the HOA assigned all the interest in one lien to Bruno Holdings, one of the entities she created. It also alleged the other entity she created, SLR Investments, filed two illegal construction liens against the property for work it had never provided and the owner had never requested. Prior to dismissal of the Bruno lawsuit, the judge issued two orders that dealt with the defendant’s actions in the case. One tossed the interview Ramberg conducted with Bruno and directed her to communicate only through his lawyer, and the other granted the plaintiffs’ motion that her unanswered questions be considered admissions. Ramberg represented herself in the case, but in one order, Judge Shane Vannatta said that doesn’t allow her to breach Montana Rules of Professional Conduct. The order specifically cited a rule that states an attorney may not communicate with a person they know is represented by another lawyer. “Simply put, Ms. Ramberg does not take off her lawyer-hat simply because she represents herself (pro se); she remains an attorney subject to the Montana Rules of Professional Conduct, specifically Rule 4.2,” the order said. In a separate order, the judge also found Ramberg and SLR Investments admitted to several allegations, per court rules that note questions not answered are “deemed admitted” after a certain timeframe. Plaintiffs granted a couple of extensions, but the defendant didn’t respond, the order said. As a result, the court found Ramberg admitted she entered the house, changed the locks, took property from the premises, and took possession of the house without permission. By failing to address questions, she also admitted she received information from Peace that wasn’t available to the public that led her to file the illegal liens. 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