Posted on 09/01/2005 10:57:39 AM PDT by JZelle
A Fairfax County judge has sanctioned six attorneys representing the owners of the Ringling Bros. circus and ordered them to pay $51,000 in fines to the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for contempt of court and other violations. PETA sued Vienna, Va.-based Feld Entertainment -- which produces the Ringling circus, the defunct Siegfried and Roy show in Las Vegas, Disney on Ice and other well-known shows -- more than four years ago. The group claimed that Feld Entertainment ran an extensive corporate-espionage campaign against it and other animal-rights groups. According to PETA, Feld went so far as to pay millions of dollars to former top CIA operative Clair George to help run its spy operation. Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge David Stitt issued the sanctions last week in response to what PETA says are obstructionist tactics that Feld's attorneys have employed throughout the history of the lawsuit. "Fortunately, the court's orders have stopped the misconduct of Feld's lawyers in this case and move us one step closer to getting to the bottom of Feld's conspiracy," PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said. One of the attorneys, Joseph Petrosinelli of the law firm Williams and Connolly, was found in contempt of court for interfering with a deposition and ordered to pay $11,305 to PETA.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I can't imagine why a business concern might try to run an espionage operation against a group of people that would sooner see it's businesses destroyed, than eat. Can anyone else?
True, but I still get tired of putting < /sarcasm > tags around my posts. Read my post again and see if it doesn't look more in jest than the last time you read it.
It's this crowd and their blood brothers that aren't above burning down businesses to get their way.
Were they accusing Stitt of ex parte conversations with PETA? That's a pretty serious charge...seems like smart lawyers wouldn't make that charge unless it's true. Talk about a slap suit, yikes.
The tag line, reproduced here in case I later change it, says it all: "If our nation be destroyed, it would be from the judiciary." ~ Thomas Jefferson
And apparently the destruction is like dying of a thousand paper cuts. A tiny, tiny bit at a time. One of these days we're gonna wake up and realize we're dead.
the judge is sanctioning sleazy attorney tactics. The spying on Peta is irrelevant.
I have had to do this to opposing counsel myself. The opposing lawyer basically delay and play games. The judge also has the option of striking all the pleadings of the attorney's client and imposing a default as if the client never filed any papers.
Now will come the abuse of discretion appeal and the motion to recuse the judge and then the appeal on the judge's refusal to recuse themselves.
This is not so big a victory for peta. it is actually rather much a yawn.
I understand where you're coming from. Thanks for the comments.
How'd they lose their funk?
LOL, it depends on who you ask.
There's prefunct, defunct and ex post functo. Defunct is probably the worst.
I suspect post 3 was directed at the article, and you just happened to be "in the way." Your sarcasm came through loud and clear. :-)
Perhaps so. And if so, then I would be the one who didn't quite get it. Still, it was addressed to me.
...I'm so confused. LOL
Take care.
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