Lawyer who sued Rockstar & Sony because some punk killed some cops got PWN3D by my hometown judge presiding over the suit.
Long but funny read.
Cliff notes version: Judge revoked his law license in Alabama.
Full Story:
Judge denies attorney’s request to withdraw from Devin Moore case
By Robert DeWitt
Staff Writer
November 19. 2005 3:15AM
Two weeks ago Jack Thompson decided to exit the Fayette County Courthouse. Thursday, Circuit Judge James Moore showed him the door.
“Mr. Thompson’s actions before this court suggest that he is unable to conduct himself in a manner befitting practice in this state," Moore wrote in an order filed Thursday.
“This is 'My Cousin Vinny,’ only with a malevolent twist," Thompson said, referring to a comic movie about a New York lawyer who tries a case in a small Alabama town.
Until two weeks ago, Thompson represented the families of the two Fayette Police officers and the dispatcher murdered by Devin Moore. He filed a civil suit on their behalf against video game companies. After his capture, Devin Moore is reported to have said, “Life is like a video game. You have to die sometime." Devin Moore’s attorneys tried to use his compulsive playing of the video game Grand Theft Auto as a defense in his case.
After the criminal trial ended, Thompson sent out a daily barrage of e-mails lambasting video game companies and making a variety of accusations against the law firm Blank Rome, which represented some of the defendants in the civil case.
Two weeks ago, he sent Judge Moore notice that he was withdrawing from the case. The move came after a hearing in which defense attorneys asked the judge to revoke Thompson’s right to practice law in Alabama. Thompson said he withdrew in order not to prejudice the judge against his clients.
But in his order Thursday, Judge Moore said Thompson couldn’t simply withdraw from the case under Alabama law. He denied Thompson’s “motion" to withdraw and then granted the defense attorney’s request to revoke “pro hac vice," the legal term for the temporary privilege to practice law in the state.
Moore ordered the circuit clerk to notify the state bar association that the privilege had been revoked. Further he ordered Thompson to attach his order to any further applications for pro hac vice in Alabama. And he said that Thompson would be held in contempt of court if he attempted to communicate with the court or the judge.
“This was a spiteful judicial act to ultimately reward guerilla tactics by a law firm that has a very long history of doing to others what they did to me," Thompson said referring to Blank Rome. “I withdrew because I knew what was coming. He wasn’t satisfied with that. He had to stick it in and twist it.
“I guess what’s coming next is an order to stop me at the Alabama border."
Judge Moore said that Alabama law prohibits him from commenting on “pending litigation."
Thompson pointed to the criminal trial as the root of the problem.
“The problem here is that the judge wants to, improperly or otherwise, prevent anything that will undermine his criminal conviction of Devin Moore," Thompson said. “I think he’ll do anything to protect that conviction. I think he believes, wrongly in my opinion, that any progress we make will undermine his criminal conviction."
Thompson said he plans to file a complaint with the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission against Judge Moore.
“I think the judge should clearly be disqualified from the civil case," Thompson said. “I think he’s using his power in the civil case to protect the criminal result."
The longest portion of Moore’s order dealt with allegations that Thompson had violated rules of professional conduct. The rules require lawyers “to conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards of honesty, integrity and civility," Judge Moore writes.
“Mr. Thompson felt compelled to smear opposing counsel, other attorneys with no involvement in this case and individuals," Judge Moore writes. Later he adds, “Mr. Thompson’s conduct towards opposing counsel has demonstrated a repeated inability to conduct himself with the required professional courtesy and civility."
Judge Moore went on to cite numerous examples of what he considered Thompson’s breach of the rules.
Defense attorneys claimed Thompson didn’t disclose to Judge Moore his complete disciplinary history with the Florida Bar Association. Judge Moore agreed.
“Mr. Thompson failed to completely disclose the extensive background of those proceedings in his application for pro hac vice," Judge Moore writes.
Judge Moore found that “extrajudicial" statements by Thompson violated the Rules of Professional Conduct. And he said that Thompson violated a gag order he imposed during Devin’s Moore’s criminal trial.
Judge Moore said Thompson has the right to appeal his decision.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/cl5bk
Long but funny read.
Cliff notes version: Judge revoked his law license in Alabama.
Full Story:
Judge denies attorney’s request to withdraw from Devin Moore case
By Robert DeWitt
Staff Writer
November 19. 2005 3:15AM
Two weeks ago Jack Thompson decided to exit the Fayette County Courthouse. Thursday, Circuit Judge James Moore showed him the door.
“Mr. Thompson’s actions before this court suggest that he is unable to conduct himself in a manner befitting practice in this state," Moore wrote in an order filed Thursday.
“This is 'My Cousin Vinny,’ only with a malevolent twist," Thompson said, referring to a comic movie about a New York lawyer who tries a case in a small Alabama town.
Until two weeks ago, Thompson represented the families of the two Fayette Police officers and the dispatcher murdered by Devin Moore. He filed a civil suit on their behalf against video game companies. After his capture, Devin Moore is reported to have said, “Life is like a video game. You have to die sometime." Devin Moore’s attorneys tried to use his compulsive playing of the video game Grand Theft Auto as a defense in his case.
After the criminal trial ended, Thompson sent out a daily barrage of e-mails lambasting video game companies and making a variety of accusations against the law firm Blank Rome, which represented some of the defendants in the civil case.
Two weeks ago, he sent Judge Moore notice that he was withdrawing from the case. The move came after a hearing in which defense attorneys asked the judge to revoke Thompson’s right to practice law in Alabama. Thompson said he withdrew in order not to prejudice the judge against his clients.
But in his order Thursday, Judge Moore said Thompson couldn’t simply withdraw from the case under Alabama law. He denied Thompson’s “motion" to withdraw and then granted the defense attorney’s request to revoke “pro hac vice," the legal term for the temporary privilege to practice law in the state.
Moore ordered the circuit clerk to notify the state bar association that the privilege had been revoked. Further he ordered Thompson to attach his order to any further applications for pro hac vice in Alabama. And he said that Thompson would be held in contempt of court if he attempted to communicate with the court or the judge.
“This was a spiteful judicial act to ultimately reward guerilla tactics by a law firm that has a very long history of doing to others what they did to me," Thompson said referring to Blank Rome. “I withdrew because I knew what was coming. He wasn’t satisfied with that. He had to stick it in and twist it.
“I guess what’s coming next is an order to stop me at the Alabama border."
Judge Moore said that Alabama law prohibits him from commenting on “pending litigation."
Thompson pointed to the criminal trial as the root of the problem.
“The problem here is that the judge wants to, improperly or otherwise, prevent anything that will undermine his criminal conviction of Devin Moore," Thompson said. “I think he’ll do anything to protect that conviction. I think he believes, wrongly in my opinion, that any progress we make will undermine his criminal conviction."
Thompson said he plans to file a complaint with the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission against Judge Moore.
“I think the judge should clearly be disqualified from the civil case," Thompson said. “I think he’s using his power in the civil case to protect the criminal result."
The longest portion of Moore’s order dealt with allegations that Thompson had violated rules of professional conduct. The rules require lawyers “to conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards of honesty, integrity and civility," Judge Moore writes.
“Mr. Thompson felt compelled to smear opposing counsel, other attorneys with no involvement in this case and individuals," Judge Moore writes. Later he adds, “Mr. Thompson’s conduct towards opposing counsel has demonstrated a repeated inability to conduct himself with the required professional courtesy and civility."
Judge Moore went on to cite numerous examples of what he considered Thompson’s breach of the rules.
Defense attorneys claimed Thompson didn’t disclose to Judge Moore his complete disciplinary history with the Florida Bar Association. Judge Moore agreed.
“Mr. Thompson failed to completely disclose the extensive background of those proceedings in his application for pro hac vice," Judge Moore writes.
Judge Moore found that “extrajudicial" statements by Thompson violated the Rules of Professional Conduct. And he said that Thompson violated a gag order he imposed during Devin’s Moore’s criminal trial.
Judge Moore said Thompson has the right to appeal his decision.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/cl5bk
