Providence lawyer arrested, accused of spitting at man

PROVIDENCE — A bad relationship between two Providence lawyers is blamed for accusations that one assaulted the other's father.

Providence lawyer Stephen J. Dennis was arrested Monday on a charge of shoving and spitting on the father of lawyer Michael Campopiano in a confrontation at their downtown office building last month.

Campopiano and Dennis are both lawyers specializing in personal injury cases and have offices in the same building at 127 Dorrance St. in downtown.

Campopiano said Monday that Dennis had approached him years ago and asked for help handling a backlog of personal injury files.

"I initially declined his offer, and he continued to pursue me for my help as he knew my office was handling files in a very efficient manner and obtaining great settlements for my clients," Campopiano said in an email. "In turn, I sent him all of my workers' compensation cases. When I decided to move to a larger office on the fourth floor, Attorney Dennis and I stopped sending each other business."

Dennis stated that Campopiano owes him money, and the two men have been involved in an ongoing "back-and-forth" argument over their business dealings, said lawyer Jeffrey B. Pine, who is representing Dennis with Frank Orabona.

While acknowledging the dispute, Dennis denies assaulting Campopiano's 67-year-old father, Pine said. "Providence police didn't do a thorough job investigating it. They're taking it at face value," Pine said.

Providence detectives found reason to charge Dennis on Monday.

Augusto Campopiano Jr., of Cranston, talked to the Providence police shortly after the confrontation on Nov. 15, said Maj. David Lapatin. Campopiano told the police that he was visiting his son when he ran into Dennis.

Campopiano told the police that Dennis pulled him in for a handshake, then used an expletive to describe his son and also called the younger Campopiano a "thief," before spitting at him, according to a police report.

After observing surveillance video from the building last week, Detectives Sgt. William Dwyer Jr. and Jonathan Primiano obtained a warrant charging Dennis with simple assault that was signed by a judge on Monday.

Dennis turned himself in and was arraigned in handcuffs at District Court before Judge Stephen Isherwood. He pleaded not guilty to simple assault and was released on his own recognizance. He has a no-contact order with the elder Campopiano. A pretrial conference was scheduled for Jan. 14.

Lawyer Artin H. Coloian, who is representing Campopiano, said Monday that "there has to be a better way" to settle a business dispute than assaulting an elderly parent.