There’s been an amazing exchange of cannon fire about scheduling Dickie Scruggs deposition in State Farm v. Jim Hood. You’ve got to read this this affidavit affidavit from State Farm’s lawyer Barney Robinson. Basically, Scruggs’s people seem to have spent a chunk of Saturday jerking Robinson around about scheduling, and, with Judge Mills having ruled the deposition must be finished by 5:00 PM today, Robinson noticed it for 8:00 AM this morning. With the other side playing stall, any lawyer would have done that. And what does Keker have to say about that?
Dear Barney,
I can’t wait to meet you. I tried a case in 1980 in federal court in Jackson against Larry Franck and Allen Perry of your firm, and found them worthy adversaries, not silly people who wasted time.
I’ll translate: “Dear puppy– I’ve worked with your betters down there in Jackson and you, sir, are a silly person.” I do not know Barney, but he is reputed to be a very smart, aggressive litigator (he seemed that way in the courtroom on Friday), and this sort of shot is not going to make him more pliable.
Keker then goes on to note he is having minor surgery on Monday morning, and concludes:
Why you are in a big hurry to have a deposition that you know will result in no testimony is a big mystery to me, but since J Mills said we had until 5 pm on Monday to participate in this deposition we are taking advantage of his clear order so that I may be on the phone with a quasi clear head. I am afraid if I participated earlier I might say things to you, under the influence of anesthetics, that I would later regret.
I’m speechless here.
Updated to include more of the letter.
More on this in a bit.
Barney Robinson is a damn good litigator and he will not take this lying down. This is about to turn explosive and will make for some good reading here on folo!
*Sigh*, Jane. Another testosterone fiesta is all we ever need, huh? Not surprised, though: payback-time’s been a long time a-comin’ for Dickie Scruggs opponents.
I still wonder what land Keker thinks he’s in.
The testosterone fiestas are invariably entertaining though so I’m anxious to let this one rip.
Poor Keker. But we all know that he’s being HUGELY compensated for any inconvenience.
Hmm. Did Keker train Balducci in the fine art of letter writing?
Now I am anxious to see what Judge Mills is made of. I don’t think he is going to be happy with Keker’s attitude and it seems to need an adjustment.
Do lawyers get away with that shit in other jurisdictions? Just wondering.
Jane I believe Keker and Dickie believe they are not just ANY lawyer. Like Sinatra, they ” want to do it their way” but am anxious for the legal community to respond to your question.
Keker probably thinks he’s being magnanimous in offering to start the deposition at 3:00 p.m. and not 4:57 p.m.
And don’t you know that even if they started at 3, there would be so much bickering that not a single question would have been posed by 5?
At 5:00 keker and scruggs would walk out since the depo had to be completed by then. I believe I hear a tsunami coming from the direction of Judge Mills courtroom. I hope he doesn’t put up with crap like this.
Maybe it’s time to call in a special master.
Or an ambulance.
Jane, regarding your comment wondering if women have any place in law because it often becomes a testosterone fight about who’s got the bigger d—:
I think I’ve heard Hillary make some speeches that, in essence, deny that she has one, but that she definitely has access to one.
However, given Monica, Jennifer, etc, etc, I’m not so sure she even has access.
Or Mike Allred!
Lotus if we are voting I choose ambulance.
I have a question for the assembled multitude:
Does this exchange of correspondence seem as out-there to ya’ll as it does to me?
I don’t know Judge Mills but if I were the Judge it would be an ambulance! What spoiled rotten crybabies.
Damn, NMC, you’re reporting lawyers leaving the courthouse. Why aren’t you over there with a microphone shoved in their faces. What are we not paying you for?
I assume they marched over to Dickie’s ’cause Mills ordered them to start deposin’.
Wish now I’d bought his book…Believe he will have a Hissy Fit…
I’m certainly supposin’ they are now deposin’, Jane.
But it isn’t 3:00!!!!!!!!!!!
They should be working on Judge Mills timetable by now!
I really wish I had time to try and sit in on some of these hearings, and on the Scruggs bribery trial. Maybe, I could use my vacation time for it. It would probably be more fun than the last three vacations I went on, anyway.