Hartford — A Connecticut judge has suspended a Hartford attorney for impersonating a fellow lawyer 11 years ago.

Superior Court Judge Antonio Robaina announced recently the penalty for Joseph Elder, the Hartford Courant reported Friday.

He said he violated the rules of professional conduct by misrepresenting himself and not correcting that misrepresentation.

In July 2004, Plainville police prevented a man from entering his home while they waited for a search warrant. After talking with Elder over the phone, the man went into his house anyway, following a fracas with police.

Police then called the number to find out who advised the resident to ignore the police. They said Elder answered the phone and identified himself as Wes Spears, another Hartford lawyer.

Police unsuccessfully sought an arrest warrant for Spears and sought disciplinary action against him until they discovered it was Elder, not Spears, on the call. Spears later sued Elder and won a $73,000 judgment, which the men are still battling over.

Spears praised Robaina's ruling, saying he believes "the judge carefully considered the evidence and reached the same conclusion every other judge, appellate court and jury has made in this matter, and that is that Attorney Elder impersonated me and refuses to admit it."

Robaina wrote in his ruling that Elder's dishonesty, deceit and misrepresentation damaged not only Spears, but the profession as a whole.

"His trial testimony and argument suggest that he is blind to the consequences and events which his actions have set in motion. ... His refusal to accept responsibility for his actions has been the hallmark of his behavior throughout this incident."

Elder said Friday he plans to appeal his yearlong suspension and may also file a complaint against the courts.

"I think that the Judicial Department has to be fair," he said. "And I'm thinking of going to the Justice Department in order to try and get fairness. Because that's what I do; I fight for fairness."