Friday, May 16, 2008

The People Versus Crooked Lawyers-A Case That Cries Out For Disbarment

A current court case in Covington Kentucky might hopefully sound the death knell for crooked attorneys enriching themselves at the expense of their naive clients. It involves three high-powered attorneys who conducted a class-action lawsuit against the makers of the once-popular diet drug Fen-Phen. The short version-they ripped off their clients.

Twenty-five million dollars each weren't enough for these scum bag attorneys, they had to steal an extra 65 million dollars from their dying clients. Part of this money went toward purchasing last years Preakness winner Curlin, a Porsche, a BMW, and courtside seats at Rupp Arena, home of the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

Now two of them-Shirley Cunningham and William Gallion (the two who brought the horse) could get up to 20 years in prison, along with a third conspirator, Melbourne Mills.

A fourth lawyer who has not been indicted, yet is a defendant in a civil suit, is Cincinnati lawyer Stanley Chesley, who negotiated the Fen-Phen settlement. He is also one of the movers and shakers in the tobacco lawsuits of the nineties, and a longtime Clinton supporter. He as well should be imprisoned and disbarred, but so far has squirmed out of the most serious charges.

Hopefully the money will eventually be recovered. This should go to the people who should have received but were conned out of it. The claims of Gallion that the clients were thrilled to give away excess funds to charity is more than just bullshit, as claimed by government expert Edward Brewer, a Northern Kentucky University law professor-it is low comedy.

The judge who approved the settlements was later accused of misconduct in the case, and resigned his office. In other words, nobody looks good here.

I hope they put them all in GenPop, the SHU would be too merciful.

1 comment:

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