Posted on 08/13/2002 12:31:18 PM PDT by chance33_98
State says lawyers continue to avoid answering questions about tobacco fees
08/13/2002
By PAM EASTON / Associated Press
Five private lawyers who represented the state of Texas in its lawsuit against big tobacco are doing everything they can to avoid having to answer questions about their $3.3 billion fee, a deputy attorney general told a judge Tuesday.
Jeff Boyd said the five attorneys have set out to delay the state's request to force them to answer questions until after Attorney General John Cornyn no longer is in office. Cornyn, a Republican, is running for U.S. Senate and is not seeking re-election.
The five attorneys, all prominent Democrats, have said the deposition request is political and Cornyn is trying to benefit from it during an election year.
Boyd said the request is something Cornyn's office has pursued for more than two years. He said the merits of the deposition request never have been heard by a judge because of constant delays by the five attorneys: Walter Umphrey and Wayne Reaud of Beaumont, John O'Quinn and John Eddie Williams of Houston and Harold Nix of Daingerfield.
"If there is nothing to hide, why are you fighting so hard?" Boyd said during the civil hearing in Houston. "If there is no merit to it, take the oath and say so."
Boyd said the state also wants to know more details about how the lawyers were selected to represent the state and whether former Attorney General Dan Morales, Cornyn's Democratic predecessor who hired them, received any money from them.
Their lawsuit netted the state $17.3 billion in a settlement from the tobacco industry.
Michael Tigar, who is representing the attorneys, said the state filed its request in the wrong county when it comes to three of his clients. He said the request should have been filed in Jefferson County for depositions on Umphrey and Reaud and in Camp County for Nix.
"I learned a long time ago that venue is important in Texas," Tigar said. "We deny that Harris County is a proper venue."
Boyd said the lawyers brought up the venue issue too late and should be denied a chance to change it.
Congress is mostly made up of lawyers, which is a clear conflict of interst. There is no check and balance on lawyers. There needs to be some equivalant of a citizens review board in each state that has the authority to disbar.
But in this case Texas is getting it's just desserts. The whole idea of those stupid lawsuits and the ultimate settlements have reeked of corruption since the word GO.
The ONLY people that deserve those billions of dollars the bottom feeding sharks claim to be there are the smokers of Texas who are the only ones ultimately paying out the money.
Maybe smokers in Texas should counter sue to reclaim all their money.
Congressman Billybob
Click for latest column: "Good People, Naked People, People Who Are Wet and Wild."
Here's the one I have:
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.