A Chicago attorney is accused of using a racial slur and an obscenity during a hearing in a domestic case that was being livestreamed.
Donna Makowski apparently was referring to personnel with the Cook County sheriff’s office when she said “those motherf*****rs.” She also used the N-word, according to a court filing entered Thursday.
The comments were made during an unmuted conversation while she waited for her client and were heard by the judge and other participants on the Zoom court call, the filing states.
An attorney who was on the call said that Zoom participants appeared to be shocked when they heard the slur and that Makowski’s participation on the call was abruptly terminated soon after.
Domestic Relations Judge Dominique Ross wrote that the comments were “unprofessional, disrespectful and contemptuous,” according to the filing, and “in direct contempt of this court.”
Ross held a hearing on the matter Friday afternoon, but there was no finding of contempt against Makowski. However, the matter was referred to the state’s Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
Makowski, licensed to practice in Illinois since 1984, did not immediately return a request for comment.
