Off the top of my head I can’t recall just when now, but at some point awhile back, we heard that the “whistle-blowing” Rigsby sisters had lost their $150,000/year-apiece jobs at Scruggs Law Firm. Well, now, according to a brief item from David Rossmiller, they’ve also lost one of the three law firms representing them on Dickie’s thinning dime.
David quotes a bit of the motion (emphasis his):
This motion to withdraw is the result of the inability of the Rigsbys and others to pay Zuckerman Spaeder LLP’s fees and expenses going forward, or to adequately satisfy existing fee and expense obligations.
“And others”? That can only be Dickie Scruggs. Is this criminal prosecution of Scruggs and his involvement in the Renfroe suit, the Rigsby False Claims Act lawsuit and other stuff tapping out even Scruggs’ mighty wallet? Mike Moore and that other passel of lawyers for Zach aren’t cheap, I’m sure, and Scruggs himself is not out of the woods on the Wilson case.
Tapping-out a Dickie Scruggs can’t be quick or easy, but gee, there has been a lotta high-dollar lawyering going on, I suppose. And it’s not like the Rigsbys matter so much in Dickie’s current scheme of things, is it? In fact, I’d even call this one easily foreseen.
sorry for putting this here Lotus, but all the big plaintiff class action attorneys are dropping like flies
Melvyn I. Weiss, whose law firm engineered securities fraud class actions that forced companies to pay $45 billion, will plead guilty to conspiracy as part of a $251 million scheme to pay clients kickbacks to file lawsuits.
Weiss agreed to serve 18 to 33 months in prison and pay $10 million, defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman said today in a statement. Federal prosecutors accused Weiss, 72, his law firm, Milberg Weiss, and former partners including William Lerach of secretly paying clients to lead suits that brought the firm hundreds of millions of dollars in fees. Before a 1995 law, being the first to file class actions, or group suits, often guaranteed law firms the biggest share of a settlement or verdict.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=arwSBU6IBdyE&refer=home
pretty sure this was a partner in the tobacco suits
‘Sokay, Seacrest, I was just about to, myself.
And recall that Bill Lerach is another Keker client.
Langston and Balducci were permanently disbarred today by the MSSC. Shelton, once again, is lost in the shuffle.
Off thread and not really “breaking news”, but DeLaughter recused himself from the Robbie Bell case today.
I thought the case had been reassigned to Judge Kidd some time ago. Is this recusal just a matter of form?
Apropos to this post: I doubt Dickie is tapped out, but what’s his incentive to keep paying the Rigsbys when he’s out of the cases and never to share in the result? Besides, isn’t reneging on fee agreements his modus operandi?
irate @ 4/ In the epitomy of irony, the opinions on both Balducci and Langston cite to the Shelton disciplinary opinion. I’m sure that is a great comfort to Keith Shelton.
Hmm, I did not read the opinions so I did not notice! Thanks!
Welcome to folo, Catfish (hard to believe no one’s grabbed that handle before).
Yes, no doubt, very very comforting to Keith Shelton. Did us a world of good in the cheer-up department too, I assure you. Meh.
Thanks for the welcome, lotus. I’ve been lurking for quite a while, but have been an avid reader. Kingfish and I are friends, so a h/t to him and Alan for sending me your way (way back in December)!
This can’t be so. The King of Torts, who is sitting on millions, would never do this to those virtuous girls of high principle and honor, who came forward for no inducement but to set the world right. Can you check and make sure this is accurately being reported? Unthinkable.
I know, 3dS, whodableevedit.
lotus: cher dat ed peters be stayin’ down by his house at cocodrie, lousiann.
pl blake he be staying by the federal courthouse down by gulfport.
what did the supreme court say about keith shelton?
Dawlin’, who you be sitting wif? Got ‘em some Good Stuff.
Dem Supremes dey keeping dey own counsel, so ta speak. Jes’ citin’ he case for the principle it’s all theirs to say ’bout. (You know what I could stand, cha? I could stand runnin’ em offa folo so dey GET TO WORK.)
Dickie knows who he can stiff and who he can’t. I bet ole PL’s stipend for article cuttin’ and such don’t stop …or ole PL’s mouth will go to singin’ and a yappin’ even tho he and Dickie don’t have a written contract or nothin’…there are probably alot of people that’ll cover those expenses…maybe even out of a campaign fund or two if need be.
I saw Ed Peters in the Chick-Fil-A in downtown Jackson last week. He was with 3 other men. I stared at him with my mouth hanging open, and he and they scurried on out.
That was you!?!?!
this is either going to be interesting, or hilarious… im gonna go sit in the corner and watch!
What makes one think that P.L. Blake would be near a courthouse in Gulfport, MS? I might buy B’Ham,AL .
Maybe P.L. was wantin’ some of that Port City Cafe down home cookin’. It’s worth dodgin’ a subpoena to get some, and the price is right.
jim: pl has been in Mississippi for a few weeks. Some cooperatin’ goin’ I reckon but don’t know. I suspect but do not know same with ed.
I don’t know who Ed was with, except that none of the 3 were PL.
were they in suits?
The RICO case is still alive:
http://www.sunherald.com/201/story/439233.html
are you sure it was ed? back around christmas time there was a guy restocking the double a’s in the toy department at target. he was wearing a baseball cap. at night. spitting image of ed. i thought to myself: well it’s one way to get out of the house. i had to stop myself from saying something (one of my little habits
justsittinhere — yes, he and the 3 men with him were in suits. The other 3 were much younger, and a good bit taller than Ed.
duckweedpond — it is possible that Mr. Peters has a double, I guess. But it sure looked like Ed Peters to me. I didn’t say anything to him, and they were leaving the restaurant as I was walking in. I turned around and followed them, from a distance, but when they got on the elevators in the Regions building (formerly the DGB then AmSouth building) I went back to the Chik-Fil-A to get my coleslaw.
Any law-enforcement-type offices in that building, MSlawyer?
Not that I know of, lotus. Now there is a walkway that connects that building to another one across Lamar Street called One Jackson Place. The U.S. Attorneys are in One Jackson Place. The Regions building is home to mostly law firms and CPA firms and bank offices. One of their largest tenants (soon to be moving to Ridgeland) is the Butler, Snow firm.
Well, that’s pretty interesting all in itself, MSlawyer. Thanks for the accidental sleuthin’.
BOY, I wish somebody could find us a recent photo of PLB.
I tried to find out more last week, but no one I talked to knew anything. All had heard rumors, but they were all over the place, and thus worthless.
I was wondering what happened to nowdoucit, and just saw one of his posts over at a site called “slabbed”. It was pretty funny, suggesting that Zach is a hero.
Well, nowdy is a she, but I saw her at “slabbed” awhile back too. Apparently she joined forces with bellesouth at some point. What can I say?
Oh, by the way, yesterday I had this emailed explanation of our other recent obstreperous visitor:
I’ll say.
Oh, sorry about that — didn’t realize it was “she”. Well, I’m glad they found a place to congregate. I don’t guess Zach’s lawyers will be citing that place in support of their motions, will they?
Sure do wish I could stay here at your place today, but I’ve gotta go get ready to leave for work. I’ll be back tonight to see what’s happened.
Have a good ‘un and we’ll catcha on the flip, MSlawyer. Eyes peeled out there today, ‘kay?
wonder if butler snow is taking their courtroom with them when they go. They have a courtroomwhere the practice trials and prep witnesses.
Maybe Ed an’ them were borrying it, jsh?
One Jackson Place is lousy with feds. And, so is the Port City Cafe (if you are dodging the U.S. Marshals and the FBI, it is a really bad place to eat, if you know what I mean).
Where is the information coming from that P.L. Blake is staying in Gulfport near the courthouse? Because, if you have seen Gulfport near the courthouse lately, you know that if that is true, it really means something.
supposed eye witness. Am trying to confirm he’s still there today but if he reads folo he may have crossed back over to Alabama last night!!
Yes. That’s me. And, yes, I do know Delaughter. If YOU knew him (the PERSON, not the character in the movie) you’d understand why he is such a “popular figure” in Raymond. And many other places, for that matter. Futhermore, it is because we know him that we not so easily convinced that he sacrificed his integrity FOR ANY REASON, certainly not just for the spirit of friendship or for a “recommendation” for ANYTHING. When we weigh what we KNOW about Delaughter against allegations made by someone who’s integrity has ALWAYS been in question (Peters) and/or a Dickie-Scruggs-wanna-be, it’s not hard to decide where to put our faith. The fact remains, I don’t know what actually transpired between Delaughter and Peters and neither do any of you. Furthermore, I find it very humerous that all of you are, on one hand, “blindly defending” every insuation made by the feds agasint Delaughter and on the other, blogging about how the SAME people withheld and/or otherwise manipulated evidence in other cases. Seems to me, if you already KNOW the Feds are 100% capable of such actions, you’d have great difficulty believing anything they say..much less everything they say. My faith in Delaughter is based on what I personally know about the man. On WHAT, pray tell, do you place your faith with the feds – or Peters – or Balducci/Langston?
Dragoman 6 – I followed up on the DeLaughter recusal and was told Kidd didn’t want the case and sent it back to DeLaughter. So, I’m not sure what’s going on.
Lynda, here’s what you do: Go back and read folo since November 29. AND all the newspaper reports and court documents we’ve linked. It’ll take you a couple of weeks and probably a trip to the optometrist to recover from it, but then you’ll know what we’ve seen of your friend and his friends — and why our perspective, more removed from his personality than yours, differs so much.
That he may be jolly company for Raymond doesn’t disprove what we’ve found about him — practically all of which argues “lawless, ethics-less dirtbag.”
And hold onto yer bonnet, later today or maybe tomorrow, I’ll be sharing a whole new example . . .
Oh lotus…there goes my “productive work day” -
I’ll be clinging to FOLO (alongside the NCAA live scoreboard) waiting for The New Example…
Lynda: Some here do know BD, personally and professionally, and for many years. And if you will check the early posts here you will find many expressing shock and disbelief and even hope that the allegations against him were untrue. But at some point I had to begin to look at the facts in a more objective fashion. I place my faith in my ability to critically analyze what comes from every source. Unfortunately BD is not doing well right now with that critical analysis. I am not attempting to persuade you to think differently about BD; you are free to make decisions as you choose, as all here are. I have learned that it is impossible to argue factually against feelings, such as your apparent blind faith, and will not attempt to do so. I would however suggest to you that the same is true for you to attempt to argue your feelings against facts.
Well, Ms. McNamee, to be quite frank, there are many in the local legal profession who don’t share your view of Judge DeLaughter. Cedric Willis, anyone?
The irony in all of this is that Judge “DeSlaughter” will wind up a criminal defendant himself. May the judge presiding over his case be as horrendously biased as he has been over the years.
Not to worry, ccvz, I’ve gotta wait for a stack of documents to be scanned and pdf’d, then revise my draft to slide them in nicely, so I don’t expect to have this finished before evening, if then. Tomorrow may be the better bet.
Fresh email from a helpful reader (h/t to you):
Tapping in.
Would like a guess by anyone on when the IRS is going to start on Joey, This is baffleing that he was only assessed 250k fine and is working daily to cover all of his assets for retirement in the Bahama’s. It is a hugh concern of mine that his plea was so lite as if he was a gifted student or special in someway. Was he indeed treated Special.
…further to magnolia 50, is anyone also concerned that Dickie’s deal was too light? I’m guessing other charges are coming, however part of me is a little worried.
I have another observation about the defense of Judge DeLaughter above: If everyone has always known about Ed Peters and his “integrity [that] has ALWAYS been in question” then whence comes the assumption that his close associate and protégé Judge DeLaughter is a pillar of rectitude?
And to step away a bit from guilt-by-association (although I think this is more a case of the apple not falling far from the tree), the misconduct involved in Kirk v. Pope is visible on the record in the case and in the Miss. Supreme Court opinion and does not require resort to testimony from Ed Peters.
Dickie’s was conspiring to bribe to make 16.5 million to go to abritration which then could be hid from the Public or completely go away. It appears to me he was given a SPECIAL plea, one that a Regular person not worth millions could have never gotten. We will have to wait to see what continues to be ( in our lifetime) pleas’ that appear to be special.
Thanks to ccvz and others for clarification as to DeLaughter’s recusal in the Robbie Bell case.
I believe that case is coming up for trial next month, isn’t it? And the Good Cynthia is defending.
Gosh, I have chillun’ and grandchillun’ coming in tonight, and I know they will be hogging my computer. I may not even get my Easter cooking done tomorrow, because if I don’t get my Folo fix I will probably be laid out on the floor, in a real swoon. Thanks so much for keeping us updated, all of you.
dear Lynda: then you know about his affair with his two week temp, his taking the gun that killed Medgar Evers, his prizing of that murder weapon that killed a civil rights leader, his obstruction of justice by hiding the gun, his prosecution of the case to his great glory so he could not be cross examined about how he got the gun and hid it. How he lied about the gun in a book and a screen play and still lives that lie. Then there’s the man he sent to prison on false DNA evidence for murder he knew the man was innocent of until the innocence project had him freed, the shenanigans in eaton v. Frisby where he colluded with we peters to deprive frisby of fair proceedings, the proceedings in kirk v pope where he cheated mr kirk out of fair proceedings and deliberately set up a $275,000 claim against another lawyer do we could get some quick insurance money, how he deprived Wilson of a fair trial, the cop he let off of a homicide charge who happened to be represented by ed peters, that he has been cited in case law for prosecutorial misconduct more times than any other prosecutor, that he is a lying, cheating racist who lives in a house no one in the legal profession can understand how a judge could afford, he already admits violating his oath as a lawyer and judge by admitting he was corruptly approached but didn’t report it nor recuse (misprision of a felony like what zach pleaded guilty to), yet despite his confession of wrongdoing in the Wilson case and in the kirk case, you don’t even believe him when he himself says he did something wrong — be careful he doesn’t ask you for a date you sound like his type.
Just sitting here – I don’t know what you’ve been smoking but you’ve certainly been fed a load of crap regarding Delaughter & the Medgar Evers case. It wasn’t Delaughter that stole/hid the gun. It was his ex-father in law. But your comments make me curious…how would YOU know so much about this gun, where is was found, etc. As they say, thou does protest too much. Are you a supporter of the old sovereignty commission? Hmm? Furthermore, how can you call Delaughter racist? That is as far from the truth as one can possible get. As for the “manslaughter” case, it was a traffic accident. I, for one, would hate to see judges start making felons of everyone who caused a traffic accident in which someone died. Furthermore, I can’t image why “Faye” spent so much time prosecuting in this case while letting so many repeat offenders in Hinds County walk. You do know that Hinds County has one of the highest murder rates in the entire country, don’t you? Compare that rate to the number of offenders brought to trial and it SHOULD scare you to death. As for Delaughter sending someone to prison on DNA that didn’t match….uhhhh…if you are going to throw THAT rock, you’re going to have to throw it several other judges, too aren’t you? As for his confession of wrongdoing in the Wilson case…could you please tell me where to find that story??? But the most telling example of your ignorance of Delaughter is the comment about his home. Delaughter lives in a very modest home in Raymond. It was an abandoned and decaying shell of a civil war era home that bought for “literally” pocket change and had moved to to Raymond. The cost of buying the structure and having it restored to its current condition was, in my estimation, no more than $150,000 and that number could be high. While they did an excellent job of restoration, there is absolutely nothing elaborate about the house. Definatley within the range of affordability by MOST working couples in Mississippi. I’m sure you won’t believe me so maybe you should just go see for yourself. I’ll be they’ll give you a tour of it.
Lotus, I have been reading FOLO blogs for quite a while. Well before the start of the Scruggs mess. I usually find the comments here humerous but blatantly biased. Not just biased about the subject matter but biased about the person posting. You belittle my comments and imply that I can’t read and/or comprehend simply because I still believe in Delaughter. Yet, you condone – and even applaud Justsittinhere and others like him even though there is NOTHING factual in his post. Absolutely NOTHING. If I were here to trash Delaughter, I’d be welcome with opened arms – with total disregard for my truthfulness – or reading & comprehension skills.
Lynda: its idiots like you who keep liars like him in office. Have fun on visiting days at the prison where he will be residing next year.
justsittin (56) Not meaning to step in the middle of two combatants here, but I am a bit curious of your allegations about the Evers murder weapon. RDMIII took the gun after the last mistrial and kept it in his home. He did not hide it and many people knew that he had it. Since it was no secret, well kept or otherwise, that he had the gun I have always felt that the “discovery” by BD was tremendously over dramatized but I know of no efforts by BD to hide it. And for the life of me I have a complete disconnect with your theory regarding avoidance of cross examination. Please enlighten me as to who you see would have been cross examining him and in what forum.
rdmiii was bobby’s daddy in law. This is common knowledge.
Indeed he was and it is. But I still question how you see that BD ever hid the gun.
well how long did he own it before he came out with it and said, okay now we can prosecute?
justsittin-
From your last post you now seem to be saying that BD somehow “owned” the gun. Since ownership is a legal term I would argue that neither RDMIII or BD ever owned it. RDMIII clearly possessed it for many years, legally or illegally. From the best information that I have ever known the gun remained in RDMIII’s house after his death. So I ask you again, what is it that would cause you to make the accusation that BD “hid” the gun and how you say that he was in some way avoiding cross examination.
to possess, to have custody, control and power over. to have in one’s possession. he possessed the gun after his father in law died. custody. he had custody of the gun after his father in law died. control. he had control of the gun after his father in law died. while his father in law was alive and dead he knew where and what the freaking gun was. it was no mystery. it didn’t just appear to him one day as if by magic. you knew his father in law had it. everyone knew his father in law had it and so did bobby.
counsel is not usually subject to taking the witness stand. if he is counsel in the case, unlikely to be called as witness right? no cross examination about how he came into possession, how long he had possession, when he first learned he had possession, no chain of custody testimony. just match up the serial numbers.
that’s all i’m saying. take or leave it.
One more little question-and-followup from a fascinated outsider, if y’all don’t mind. What name do the initials “RDMIII” stand for, and how did he come by the gun, if that’s known?
You make my point well. I do not know that RDMIII’s widow gave possession of it to BD when her husband died (perhaps you do). But yes, I knew in his lifetime that RDMIII had it as did many others. But the knowledge that RDMIII had it does not amount to hiding it. If simple knowledge of its location amounts to active hiding then your statement about hiding the gun would apply to me as well as many others.
I really do think that BD has precious plenty to answer for without resorting to questions of supposed affairs or over dramatizations from the movie.
Russel D. Moore, III, former Hinds County Circuit Court Judge. Many years ago it was common practice for Court personnel to remove guns from evidence after a trial had been concluded and appeals exhausted. At that time apparently no one thought the case would ever be tried again so the Judge took the gun. In some cases an order was entered on the record “releasing” evidence in such cases but I do not know if one was entered in the old Beckwith case.
well tired you you make me tired but your version does make better fiction. You knew rdmiii had the gun but rdmiii’s son in law didn’t know. Never saw it had no idea. Then one night while he slept an angel of the Lord delivered it to him and voilàjustice was at last served. A celebrity was born. And all those vicious rumors at oak forest baptist church about the temp were just the devil’s aspersions. My point to Lynda is he didn’t just get this way he’s been this way for a long time.
So have it your way that gun arriving when it did was just a blooming miracle, sort of like zach not knowing that a bribe was going down. Hallelu!!!
My reaction on BD’s gun story was always that it sounded like a fairy tale. He didn’t suddenly discover where it was, and that was no part of why the prosecution restarted.
One variety of fairy tale is designed to explain to children how-something-came-to-be. They’re made up and often entertaining, but they aren’t so. A just-so story. This always seemed to me one of those.
Jesus just showed up as a cheeto (the cheeto has since been named “Cheesus”).
Anything is possible.
justsittin-
Sorry, and I really do hate to disappoint you, but I have no “version”. I have readily said that I believe that BD knew where the gun was. I said that the movie version was, in my opinion, overly dramatic and unbelievable. I simply challenged you on your post regarding hiding the gun rather than simply knowing where it was; to which you have yet to respond. I know nothing of “rumors” at Oak Forest, and have taken no position on BD’s marital fidelity, and will not do so. If somehow you understand that I have intimated that there was anything miraculous about the discovery of the gun then I obviously have not made myself clear. I posted earlier (45) that I do not subscribe to Lynda’s blind faith and quite frankly find it to be totally inconsistent with all logical factual analysis. It just seems that you have made a jump from knowing to hiding which I cannot follow and simply asked for your basis.
Here comes another meaty email:
Perhaps you’d like a peek at the DeLaughter house? Welp, the February 1, 2007, New York Times can oblige. Its name is “Hiawatha” . . .
Re; Delaughter Home Hiawatha…It is a beautiful LITTLE home,but would never appraise for anywhere 400k, and one appraises by what is comfortable to the same, and we have mega homes in our town like this and they never sell for much over 150k.