FAIRMONT– In an order signed March 21, 2023, the Minnesota Supreme Court suspended the license of attorney Elizabeth Bloomquist. Blomquist was the city attorney of Fairmont from 1989 to 2019, when her employment with the city was terminated.

According to the order, the Director of the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility has filed a petition for disciplinary action alleging that Blomquist has committed professional misconduct warranting public discipline, namely failing to diligently pursue criminal cases that were within her jurisdiction as city attorney.

The order goes on to say that beginning in 2012, Bloomquist’s previously full-time legal assistant started taking on other duties, affecting her ability to efficiently process criminal cases within the city’s jurisdiction.

After Bloomquist was terminated in 2019 (for reasons unrelated to the misconduct described in the petition) it became clear that she had not resolved, by making a charging decision, a large number of police reports–over 135. Over 50 of those cases were at that point time-barred, including 26 that could otherwise have been charged out or further investigated.

Additionally, 27 of the time-barred cases were domestic assault cases, with respect to which a prosecutor has a duty under Minnesota Statute to notify the victim that the prosecutor has decided to decline prosecution or to dismiss the criminal charges against the defendant and to inform the victim of information relating to order for protection and restraining orders.

The orders says that because of Bloomquist’s failure to take action on these matters, she failed to comply with the requirements of the statute and thus her misconduct involved a lack of diligence.

The Minnesota Supreme Court ordered that Blomquist is suspended from the practice of law for a minimum of 30 days and she was fined $900 in addition receiving a public reprimand.