March 31, 2015

Attorney General George Jepsen today announced several staff changes at the Office of the Attorney General due to retirements and a resignation that have occurred among staff in leadership positions over the past few months.

Assistant Attorney General Kimberly Massicotte, who has served as head of the office's Environment Department since 1997, has been named Associate Attorney General for Litigation following the retirement of the current Associate Attorney General for Litigation, Margaret Chapple.

Massicotte, who joined the Office of the Attorney General in 1988 and is a graduate of the Western New England College School of Law, will assume her new role beginning April 1. As Associate Attorney General for Litigation, Massicotte will oversee all litigation in federal and state courts and administrative agencies as well as all investigations and settlement activities.

"Peggy Chapple's career with the Office of the Attorney General has been long and distinguished, and we are deeply grateful for her 30 years of service to the state of Connecticut," said Attorney General Jepsen. "Kim Massicotte is a seasoned and successful litigator with an impressive resume of trials in significant cases, management of complex settlement negotiations, appeals in both state and federal courts, broad experience in state and federal administrative proceedings and supervision of multistate litigation and advocacy projects. She is a strong and thoughtful leader, and I'm pleased to welcome her to my senior staff."

Assistant Attorney General Matthew Levine will succeed Massicotte as head of the office's Environment Department. Levine is a graduate of the Quinnipiac University School of Law who joined the office in 1996 as an executive assistant and became an assistant attorney general handling workers' compensation matters the following year. He joined the Environment Department in 1999 and has focused primarily on environmental enforcement litigation on behalf of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection both in court and in complex administrative proceedings.

"Matt Levine has been a steadfast advocate for clean air and water, pollution remediation, mercury control and regulation of carbon emissions," the Attorney General said. "His enforcement experience as well as his ability to coordinate effectively with multiple agencies, including state and federal criminal authorities, make him an excellent choice to lead our Environment Department."

In another leadership change, Assistant Attorney General Lorrie Lewis Adeyemi has been named head of the Office of the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Department, succeeding Assistant Attorney General Phillip Rosario, who left the office in February after accepting a deputy bureau chief position with the Federal Communications Commission in Washington D.C.

A graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law, Adeyemi spent a decade in the Consumer Protection Department, developing an expertise in consumer protection law as well as specialized experience in telemarketing fraud, unfair and deceptive lending practices and credit repair issues. Since 1990, Adeyemi has served in the office's Finance Department, where she has applied her consumer protection experience to consumer credit and insurance matters, with a primary focus on predatory lending issues.

"In his over 25 years of service, Phil Rosario meaningfully and positively impacted the lives of many thousands of Connecticut residents, and he will be deeply missed," Attorney General Jepsen said. "Lorrie Adeyemi has dedicated a significant portion of her career to advocating on behalf of consumers, and she possesses the legal ability, leadership skills and judgment to successfully lead our Consumer Protection Department."

Finally, Assistant Attorney General Linsley Barbato, a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law who joined the Office of the Attorney General in 1994, has been named head of the office's Torts/Civil Rights Department effective April 1, following the retirement of the current department head, Assistant Attorney General Maite Barainca. Barbato's work has included the successful defense of the state and its officials – and, by extension, its taxpayers – from a wide variety of lawsuits and claims.

"Maite Barainca leaves us after an impressive career spanning nearly 30 years of zealous and effective advocacy on behalf of the State of Connecticut," the Attorney General said. "Linsley Barbato is a tremendously talented litigator and has demonstrated her talents in a wide array of cases in federal and state courts, at both the trial and appellate levels, and in the Claims Commission. She brings wealth of experience and skill to this important practice area."

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