“[Wilke’s]… story is particularly tough on Oxford plaintiffs lawyer Grady Tollison, portrayed as jealous of Scruggs, who horns in on Tollison’s perceived primacy on the Square.And on Lackey, who delights in the federal yoke when he’s doing the FBI’s bidding to snare Scruggs, but turns eccentric and bitter as the story winds down, despite the accolades that come his way for his role.”
Not that “green Grady” and “whacky Lackey” weren’t obvious to those following USA v Scruggs; but, good for Curtis Wilke who lets it out in his Scruggs tell-all, Fall of the House of Zeus – and good for Daily Journal reporter Pasty Brumfield who gets the word out in her review, lending credibility to the opinion of Washington (state) attorney Steve Eugster:
“It seems we may have a situation where a trial judge engaged in earwigging with the attorney(s) for the plaintiff in the Jones v. Scruggs case. Evidence of the earwigging is found in the fact of the very unusual ore tenus motion whereby the judge entered an order sealing the file of the case from all the world open to be unsealed in the sole discretion of the attorney who filed the case.”
The co-inky-dence of Tollison soliciting contributions for Judge Lackey’s retirement party hints of the earwigging Eugster calls “a Mississippi tradition”. Will Wilke’s book explain why it’s no co-inky-dence that Lackey’s chief defender, the north Mississippi blogging lawyer known as NMC, has joined Tollison in putting a bug in the ear of fellow attorneys:
“I’m one of the lawyers collecting contributions toward this dinner, which will also include a retirement gift to Judge Lackey…”
What, pray tell, is it that makes Tollison and NMC think it is appropriate for attorneys to contribute money to a judge under any circumstance? That, SLABBED readers, may take yet another book to answer – one on the just-us justice of North Mississippi that Brumfield might want to write.
Meanwhile, we await the release of Wilke’s book with the comfort of knowing Patsy Brumfield is on the story and those with turf to guard are setting out stakes –
“I have to say, I am looking forward to Patsy’s review. She asked Tom and I some really off the wall questions for which she had no sourcing for Kings of Tort. She also committed that she would treat Wilkie’s book exactly the same way. It will be interesting to see if she does.
Thank goodness I recorded our conversation.”
while others are getting their bases loaded:
“I’ve read Curtis Wilkie’s book, and have posted a bit about it, but was holding fire till we got close to the publication date (for starters, I thought that was a condition of sending me the book). Stuff is starting to come out, and I’m going to start to post about it.”
I have no reason to doubt Brumfield nailed it when she wrote, “Few of the chief actors in this book come out looking very well…
“They range from aggressively calculating or naively stupid to ruthless power-lovers.”
But, I can only guess at the category she had in mind for Balducci and Lackey – the Laurel and Hardy of judicial bribery after catching their act on the FBI tapes documenting some portion of their conversations.
I’m so sick of this shit with the Mississippi courts. How about one book we can call it A Bunch of fuking@ss holes. The Gaylord, Vicksburg settlement has made it’s way to google so who doesn’t know what kind of shit goes down in this sh!t hole anyway?
If it sounds like I’m pissed it’s because the state has started it’s shit again with me and its hard to tell this time if it’s the pending millions on my family the court refuses to release or that @ss hole trying to get his God like wanta be @ss in the 5th, circuit of appeals.
If they refuse to grow up they need that @ss wup.
After reading this post and getting a peek at what is coming in Zeus my initial reaction was to wish I had Craplapalooza’s avatar.
That said, to the extent I’m 340 or so miles away it may be worth breaking out the popcorn as there could be some action.
Robert, Mississippi’s history in many respects in one long golden shower as in 99% of the people getting pissed upon by 1%. Boy do the results show.
sop
Oi !!…Feh!…what such megilleh… drek , drek, drek is vhat it is !…Oi !!
The Comments to this Post (thus far) have gotten us “off target”, but what the hell. So the Judiciary (at least the State Judiciary) in Mississloppy is CORRUPT. Surprise, surprise. With the kind of money that the likes of Dicky Scruggs, Paul Minor and their co-conspirators (most of whom are now doing “hard time”) what would one expect? My question is, “Why has the United States Department of “Injustice” and the Federal Bureau of Constipation spent so much time in Mississloppy, while ignoring Louseyanna? The “DisHonorable” G.T. Ortous (it’s taken @ 8 years to “nail” him) is only the tip of the iceberg. And the dollars involved in the corruption of the “Victims of KATRINA” litigation, which I have witnessed first-hand during the past 5 years makes Dickie Scruggs and Paul Minor look like the “pikers” they are. So just where is the “Federal Fucking Government”? Why are their “persecutors” missing-in-action here in Louseyanna? Could it have something to do with the fact that the United States of America and the U.S. Department of “Injustice” are the beneficiaries of the CORRUPTION of the Victims of KATRINA litigation, which continues under their very “brown” noses? Ashton O’Dwyer.
Personally, I don’t see a lot of difference in the conduct of some of the attorneys in the Porteus case and that of those soliciting money from other attorneys to “honor” Judge Lackey. Although Lackey is retiring, sitting judges no doubt take note of those who are raising money, as well as those contributing.
If Lackey is as “honorable” as his supporters claim, it would seem to me that he would not allow such. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to be that honorable – so “the more things change, the more they stay the same”.
NMC is a pompous ass. He’s Lackey’s lackey. Disgusting really. Lackey’s behavior in this mess is disgusting too. He uses his position as judge to take Scruggs down by ASKING FOR A BRIBE from his “good friend,” because he thought Scruggs was a monster. Couldn’t have been a very good judge with that kind of thinking. And, obviously with friends like these guys, you don’t need enemies.
As for Alan Lange, Will Bardwell says it best:
I could write a book about combustible aluminum during the Big Bang with no less expertise than that shown by Alan Lange’s legal analysis.
As I understand “Lackey’s behavior in this mess”, we’ve just seen snapshots of a much larger picture.
For example, the FBI tapes reveal this “hero” made comment to Balducci about working on his opinion in George Dale’s case against the Democratic party. Rumor has it that Lackey and Dale were friends, I’ve even heard college roommates. If there’s any truth in those rumors, Scruggs’ “lipstick on a pig” campaign against Dale could have easily been a consideration when Tollison approached him about Jones v Scruggs.
On a different note, I’m surprised that some think Wilke’s mention of Scruggs’ addiction to prescription pain killers is “news” when, as I recall, his sentencing order recommended BOP place him in a facility with a drug treatment program.
As to Lackey and his lackeys:
“Allegans suam turpitudinem non est audiendus”
Quelle honte putain !
Nowdy, there is no doubt in my mind that Lackey had ulterior motives for his actions. As soon as Tollison went ex parte to Lackey about filing this suit under seal, you can almost see Lackey gleefully rubbing his hands together with a cheshire cat’s smile on his face. To think he has gotten all of this praise is abhorrent. This judge and the prosecutors should be doing time. People should be very afraid when the law comes after the person when there has been no crime committed.
I appreciate the opportunity to express my opinions on SLABBED, and I try to respect the contrary views of others. But sometimes, when the views of others attempt to “hijack” common sense, I feel that I have to speak up: “Dicky Scruggs” pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe Judge Lackey, and to conspiracy to bribe Judge DeLaughter. He also pleaded guilty to mail fraud. Lackey may be “scum” in the eyes of some, but he is not a felon, and appears to have done “the right thing” when approached by Scruggs’ co-conspirators to compromise his integrity. Ashton O’Dwyer.
Dick Scruggs is a “felon” but it “hijack(s) common sense”, Ashton, for you of all people to submit an otherwise inaccurate account of related fact or disagree with Bellesouth’s opinion that it’s wrong “when the law comes after [a] person when there has been no crime committed”.
At the time Balducci approached Judge Lackey, Dick Scruggs was not part of a conspiracy to bribe the judge and “earwigging” was unethical but not unlawful (source: March 14, 2008; Transcript of Change of Plea Hearing of Dick Scruggs):
Dick Scruggs did not plead guilty to conspiring to bribe Judge DeLaughter:
While Scruggs is now a “felon”, Judge Lackey is far from innocent – and “Extortion under Color of Official Right” is but one example of his unquestioned but questionable conduct:
So, just what the fuck does “…for you of all people…” mean? As for the self-confessed felon Dickie Scruggs, forget for a moment the transcript of the proceedings which added 2 years to his GUILTY pleas to bribery, due to “mail fraud”, and focus on the March 14, 2008 transcript which was “parsed”: “I did join the conspiracy after that”, and “I plead guilty, Your Honor.” One would think that NOWDOUCIT would get along grandly at the Yennie Building, or at City Hall in New Orleans. Will she be supporting Caroline Fayard in the runoff for Lieutenant Governor here in Louisiana. Birds of a feather, as long as they are Democrats and have money, no matter how dirty it is. Ashton O’Dwyer.
Surely you jest, Ashton! I, on the other hand, was dead serious when I wrote “for you of all people” as it’s not just wrong
Ashton, you are probably not up to par on this issue since you have had your own to contend with, but I guarantee you, as much as you have used this blog to put out information for yourself and as much as this blog has supported you, allowing you to hijack threads for your own use to get your story out, I can’t say that you would be adequate in comprehending all that has been laid out over this case for the last 3 years since you have been incapsulated in your own drama, I have to say, you don’t know of what you speak. Your knee jerk reaction is no different than that officer that came and took you away. Maybe we hate what we are.
Balducci more or less volunteered to go over there. Lackey was his mentor. They were good friends. Shooting the shit. Going to start a new practice, would love to have your name on it. I’m working with Scruggs. The suit is bogus because the parties agreed to arbritration if ever there was a dispute, it should be dismissed and sent for arbritration as is provided by law. That’s was the crime. Lackey wanted to get the monster, set the whole shit up and used his protege to do it and now, even he feels bad about. OK!
Oh it took 7 months. Meanwhile the judge wasn’t doing his job, he was calling Balducci over and over trying to get some indication of a bribe. Never happened. He recused himself. The FBI made him get back on the case and that is when they decided that Lackey would ask for money from his old friend and protege. Nice, uh?
Jones tried to sue for sanctions. It didn’t work because the case should have been sent to arbritration in the first place!
For documentation that “Dickie” Scruggs pleaded GUILTY to conspiring to bribe both Lackey AND DeLaughter, see the following: (1) “http://www.folo.us/2009/02/11/scruggs-II-guilty-plea-and-sentencing-part-two/” and (2) The Plea Agreement in “Scruggs II”, Criminal Case No. 3:09CR on the docket of the US District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, in the matter entitled: “The United States of America vs. Richard F. ‘Dickie’ Scruggs”, dated February 9, 2009, and signed by Mr. Scruggs, wherein Mr. Scruggs admitted that he, …along with others used the United States mail in scheme to deprive the citizens of the State of Mississippi of a circuit judge”. That plea, which involved the conspiracy to bribe DeLaughter (popularly called “Scruggs II”) added two years to the 5 years Mr. Scruggs already was serving for conspiring to bribe Lackey (popularly called “Scruggs I”). Ashton O’Dwyer.
My own opinion is the manipulation of the legal process bears many similarities to what the Feds did to you early this year Ashton. The different being is you fought while Scruggs folded.
It never sat right with me that it was the Feds that introduced money into the Scruggs equation, such being exhibit 1 in the rat fucking the gang put on the man.
All that said an honest man would have said no so the damage is done.
sop
It just wasn’t that black and white, sop.