Posted on 07/21/2006 8:51:52 AM PDT by Froufrou
Attorney Mark Groettum was blindsided last week by an onslaught of punches from an unexpected foe -- the client he was defending in a Hibbing courtroom.
William Edwin Lehman Jr., 56, pummeled Groettum's face in front of the judge and jury, giving the lawyer a black eye and busted lip before courtroom security intervened.
Lehman, of Chisholm, was standing trial in St. Louis County District Court after being accused of stabbing two men in the apartment next door to his. Lehman had complained that the music they were playing was too loud, according to the criminal complaint.
The courtroom incident occurred after Lehman had made a motion -- when the jury was not present -- for a mistrial, saying his lawyer's counsel had not been effective. Judge James Florey denied Lehman's motion.
Groettum, 48, said his client requested a mistrial because Lehman claimed Groettum wouldn't ask witnesses questions Lehman wanted asked.
Florey ruled that the attack was an attempt to manipulate the system and that Lehman shouldn't be able to benefit from it. Another motion for a mistrial was denied.
The trial resumed Thursday with Lehman representing himself. On Friday, jurors found Lehman guilty of all six charges against him involving the attack on his Chisholm neighbors, St. Louis County prosecutor Brian Simonson said.
I have this humorous image in my mind of the judge denying the attorney's request to cancel his representation of the client.
Makes you wonder what the lawyer ever did to the judge...
"Bill, listen, the trial is not going well. I'm going to request a mistrial, but the odds are not good that we'll get that. So, I have a backup plan. When I request the mistrial, if they turn me down, I want you to start hitting me. Now, ya gotta really give it to me. Blackeye, busted lip, the works. After that, I'll take another stab at requesting a mistrial, OK? That may not work either, but it's all I can think of."
LOL..I can see him before the jury.."I know where you all live"...while his fists are flying in the air...
Sounds a little like 'Liar Liar', although in that movie Jim Carrey provides a self-infliceted a** kicking.
My exact thought ... insanity plea, perhaps
There very well could be some duplicity there.
I've been told that, in criminal cases (but not this one, obviously), if the lawyer asks to be removed from the case it's a signal to the judge that the client is asking the lawyer to acquiece or engage in unethical behavior. Funny thing is that the judge usually denies the request, but the formality saves the lawyer's license from being yanked if something bad happens.
This was a civil case, but the jury did find the contractor guilty of fraud.
BTDT. Best wishes to you.
Thanks!
I have a whole list, Maybe someday someone will create a freeper dictionary, freeptionary?, and we could add some submissions to go along with "series", "hugh", "beeber", etc..
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