“I didn’t realize it was against the law to leave a one-star review on a law firm” – accused speeder Matt Kolb.
“And don’t you ever, ever put any Google remarks on my Google account or Kay & Kay Law Firm in the future. If you do, I will find you in contempt and I will have you arrested. Got it?” – Municipal Judge Tim Kay.
Lake Country Municipal Judge Timothy Kay was accused of threatening to arrest and jail a local man who left a one-star Google review on the Kay & Kay Law Firm’s website after he appeared before the judge on a speeding ticket, according to police referral documents obtained by Wisconsin Right Now via an open records request.
Listen to the audio here:
Audio, the transcript, and Oconomowoc police referral documents further allege that Kay ordered the man, Matt Kolb, to return to court, vacated a previous agreement, held him in contempt of court, and doubled his fine. He later considered holding Kolb in continuous contempt of court for each day of violation but changed his mind, a police referral alleges. Oconomowoc police, who referred a potential charge against Kay that the DA opted not to issue, also accused the long-time municipal judge, who presided over the largest joint municipal court system in the state, of retaliating against a prosecutor who filed a complaint for the City of Oconomowoc.
In a letter, Kolb described, “I was not prepared for what unfolded. I had exercised my First Amendment right to leave a one-star review of the judge’s law practice…I was shocked to learn that the judge had not only singled me out for that review but had chosen to retaliate by doubling my fine and threatening me with immediate arrest.”
Stated Kolb: “Emotionally, the experience was overwhelming. I felt exposed, powerless, and targeted for speaking out. I was not only intimidated – I was humiliated in front of a public courtroom, with my wife and our 4-month-old son present. The moment the judge threatened me with arrest, my ahdsn began to shake… I was not disruptive, nor disrespectful – I simply expressed an opinion outside of court. Yet here I was being made an example of, as if to warn others not to do the same.” Kolb wrote that the experience “shook my confidence in the fairness of the judicial system.” He said he felt “helplessness.”
The open records response, which documents the Oconomowoc police referral to the DA, contains a copy of the Google review in question, although it’s a fuzzy copy.
In the transcript, Kay tells Matthew Kolb, “All right. Ummmm, I am close to holding you in contempt. I am close to holding you in contempt and I could have you detained and taken to the Waukesha County jail right now. Do you understand what you did?”
“Your Honor,” Kolb responded, “I, I I don’t think I do. I, I, I don’t want to be disrespectful. I, I respect the court, um I respect the process here. I didn’t realize it was against the law to leave a one-star review on a law firm.”
Responded Kay, “Well, I think it impedes the court’s ability to move forward and to run its operation smoothly and efficiently, so I will find you in contempt and I will impose contempt fees of $100 on top of the increased fine…Cut your losses, march back, pay that fine and walk out of here before I change my mind and have you detained and taken to Waukesha County Jail. And don’t you ever, ever put any Google remarks on my Google account or Kay & Kay Law Firm in the future. If you do, I will find you in contempt and I will have you arrested. Got it?”
Kolb told Kay he didn’t recall why he left the Google review, saying, “I leave a lot of these Google reviews. I don’t recall this specifically why I did this.”
Kay allegedly said, “Just take a look at that Kolb and tell me if that’s what you put on Google. It’s got your name on it?”
Judge Tim Kay[/caption]
We also filed an open records request with the Lake Country Municipal Court requesting any complaints filed against Kay in the past two years. That request is pending; the court sent Kay a notice about the request on April 29, giving him a chance to contest release of those documents in court. It is not clear whether Kay will try to do so.
The District Attorney Declines to Prosecute Tim Kay
On April 7, 2026, Oconomowoc Police Chief James Pfister wrote Waukesha County District Attorney Lesli Boese, “This letter serves as an urgent referral regarding serious allegations of misconduct in public office involving Municipal Judge Timothy Kaye of the Lake Country Municipal Court.” He asked Boese to conduct an immediate review and investigation for potential alleged “violations of state law and judicial ethics.” He sent her a referral document that outlines the accusations.
In an April 27 email to Wisconsin Right Now, Boese wrote, “I received a referral for Timothy Kay for one count of Misconduct in Public Office. I am declining prosecution of the referral. That is the only comment I will be making on the case.” It is not clear why Boese declined prosecution.
We sent Kay two emails requesting comment but did not receive any response.
On April 24, Kay announced he was retiring from the court after 14 years.
“It has been the honor of my life to preside over the Lake Country Municipal Court. I thank the citizens for their vote and for trusting me with this awesome responsibility,” Kay wrote. “I have never taken my oath and responsibility lightly.”
Kay has been involved in the municipal court system for 40 years. He was first elected to the court in 2012 and is currently serving his fourth term. Lake Country Municipal Court is the largest joint municipal court in the state, with 22 jurisdictions, he wrote.
There were eight initially. He said that the court has been very “efficient in accommodating defendants,” and noted that he has presided over 196,000 cases over the past 14 years. He previously served as a municipal prosecutor, handling 48,0000 cases, his press release says.
What the Documents Allege
The documents describe in detail the police accusations against Kay, who has not been arrested or charged with any crime. According to the “referral of charges,” police referred a possible charge of “misconduct in public office.”
The police referral documents allege:
It all started on November 24, 2024, when a man named Matthew Kolb received a citation from the Village of Chenequa Police Department. The citation was for speeding, a four-point violation, with a deposit of $124. An initial appearance was set, and Kolb appeared for his speeding violation in Lake Country Municipal Court on Feb. 21, 2025. The prosecutor for the Village of Chenequa, Kimberly Kershek, offered to amend the citation from a four-point speeding violation to a two-point defective speedometer violation.
Kolb accepted the amendment, and Judge Kay set the fine at $124, according to the referral. The conviction was reported to the state Department of Transportation.
“That same afternoon, Mr. Kolb placed a one-star Google review on the Kay and Kay Law Firm website,” the documents say. “The review just lists the name ‘Matt Kolb’ and makes no comment about either Judge Kay or Lake Country Municipal Court.”
The documents allege: “On the same day of the one-star review, Judge Kay contacted the clerk at Lake Country Municipal Court and told the clerk the defendant (Mr. Kolb) was saying bad things on the Internet about him and the court. Judge Kay told the clerk he wanted to reinstate the original charge and raise the fine to $248.”
“As ordered by Judge Kay, Mr. Kolb was summoned back to Lake Country Municipal Court for a hearing on March 21, 2025,” the documents allege. “The hearing notice to Mr. Kolb notified him that the purpose of the hearing was for contempt.” Kay never notified the prosecutor that he was summoning Kolb back to court, alleges the document. Kolb appeared without counsel.
The open records response provides a transcript of the exchange. It quotes Kay as telling Kolb, “For the record, I’ll tell the prosecutor what was put on Google. He put a review on Kay & Kay Law Firm, which is not associated with the court. He put on a one-star review, which is I take it is a slight, uh a derogatory type of a review to Kay & Kay Law Firm. The two are separate. Judge Kay is here, why would you want to make any disparaging remarks or uh comments as to Kay & Kay Law Firm?” (That law firm’s website lists two attorneys, Timothy Kay and Alexander Kay.)
The referral document then alleges, “Judge Kay then ordered that the amendment made at an earlier court date be vacated and reverted the charge back to the original point speeding violation. Judge Kay further ordered that the fine on the original citation ($124) be doubled to $248…Judge Kay then ordered that Mr. Kolb be held in contempt.”
The police document notes that Kolb was in court with his wife and young child and was courteous and exhibited “no improper body language” and didn’t make any inappropriate gestures to Judge Kay.” He then paid the additional fine of $124 and the “contempt fee of $100,” the documents say, alleged he was “told to immediately pay” them.
The prosecutor was present and “was shocked at Judge Kay’s comments and did not approve of or participate in the hearing.”
On April 14, 2025, more than three weeks later, Judge Kay “again ordered the court clerk to summon Mr. Kolb back to Lake Country Municipal Court with the following notice: ‘Order to Show Cause why the defendant should not be in continuous contempt for each date of violation.'”
He rescinded the order “only after learning that a complaint might be filed regarding his earlier interaction with Mr. Kolb,” adds the documents.
“Judge Kay had no legal basis to reopen the judgment against Mr. Kolb,” the police alleged. Kolb then wrote a letter for “submission with a complaint filed with the Wisconsin Judicial Commission,” the documents say.
“It was improper for Judge Kay to find Mr. Kolb in contempt of court,” the police alleged, citing a statutory passage that states people can only be found in contempt in municipal court for intentional acts of “misconduct in the presence of the court that interferes with the court proceeding or with the administration of justice or that impairs the respect due the court” or “refusal of witness to appear without reasonable excuse.”
The police also alleged that Kay’s actions violated a Wisconsin Supreme Court code for Judicial Conduct and “evidence neglect of duty, official misconduct, and malfeasance in office.”
As noted above, however, the District Attorney makes the final call on whether any criminal charges could result. She declined to prosecute.
On May 14, 2025, a meeting of the court’s Operations Committee, which oversees Lake Country Municipal Court, was held, and the Kolb matter was discussed with Judge Kay. Village of Chenequa Police Chief Daniel Neumer “voiced his displeasure on how Mr. Kolb’s speeding ticket was handled. The Police Chief for the City of Oconomowoc, Chief Pfister, also voiced his opinion on the matter,” states the documents.
It was ordered that clerks would repay the money to Kolb and get a substitute judge.
“There was a discussion about Mr. Kolb potentially filing a complaint with the judicial committee. Judge Kay then stated that when a complaint is filed against an attorney it is ‘like’ war,” alleges the documents.
But it didn’t allegedly end there.
Judge Kay was Then Accused of Taking ‘Retaliatory Actions’ Against Another Lawyer
In June 2025, the Oconomowoc Common Council requested that Jeffrey J. Ek, as assistant city attorney, file a formal complaint with the Wisconsin Judicial Commission concerning the Kolb matter, the police document says.
Ek advised Kay in person that the city had requested he file the complaint and gave Kay a courtesy copy. The next day, Attorney Jennah Curtin of Ek’s office appeared on behalf of the city of Oconomowoc.
A stipulation was submitted to resolve a City of Oconomowoc OWI case. “Judge Kay raised the fact that the matter had been adjourned approximately 11 times. Judge Kay approved each prior adjournment.”
“In open court Judge Kay scolded Attorney Curtin and indicated her firm was failing in its duty to properly prosecute OWI cases. He said, ‘Some judges could send this to OLR. Some judges could do that,'” the police referral alleges.
“This was perceived as a retaliatory threat to report an ethical violation in response to the complaint filed by Attorney Ek just days prior,” it says.
On Sept. 10, 2025, Ek, on behalf of the city, submitted a stipulation and order form to dismiss without prejudice several matters pending in Municipal Court against a person named Dino Nero.
“The City of Oconomowoc did not wish to prosecute these matters as Mr. Nero had several matters pending in Circuit Court. The stipulation and order form also shows Attorney Ek had made the agreement with Attorney Amanda Nimmer, who represented Mr. Nero,” the police wrote. “Attorney Ek advised Attorney Nimmer that she and her client did not have to appear for the Sept. 12, 2025 court appearance.”
Alleges the document: “Judge Kay refused to accept the stipulation and order form and ordered the clerk to enter a default judgment on all matters pending against Mr. Nero. As a result, Mr. Nero’s driver’s license was suspended.”
Ek and Nimmer requested that Kay reopen the matters and he eventually had the clerk pull back the license suspension but “refused to reopen the matters and set the matters for sentencing.”
The police alleged, “Judge Kay had no basis to enter a default judgment against Mr. Nero.”
On Nov. 30, 2025, the police wrote that Kay directed the bailiff to “prevent attorney Jeffrey J. Ek from resolving matters involving the City of Oconomowoc prior to the initial appearance. The actions on the part of Judge Kay show a pattern of retaliation against the City of Oconomowoc.”
Kay’s website is still active. “I am writing this letter to the residents of the 18 municipalities that comprise the Lake Country Municipal Court, in order to share with you why I am so proud and honored to have served a first term as your Judge. I would like to continue as your Lake Country Municipal Court Judge for a second term,” it says.
“I have been involved with the Lake County Municipal Court (LCMC) since its inception in 1988; first as a municipal prosecutor who prosecuted about 50,000 cases throughout my twenty-five year career. Second, I was elected to the position of LCMC Judge in 2012 by an overwhelming majority of Lake Country voters. Since the election I have worked hard to operate the municipal court as a self-sufficient, transparent and self-sustaining enterprise (i.e. at no cost to the taxpayers of the member municipalities that make up the court). Additionally, I have helped to maintain the safety of our citizens and to protect the quality of life that we all enjoy in the Lake Country area.”
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