Miscellaneous

If All Else Fails, Aim for a Mistrial

What do you do if your defense isn't going well, and you think it's your lawyer's fault? Beat the hell out of two birds with one stone:

William E. Lehman didn't like the way his trial was going, saying he thought his court-appointed lawyer had "sabotaged" his defense. So he beat him up.

Lehman, 58, of Chisholm, Minn., who was on trial for assault, had asked the judge for a new attorney. The judge said no. After everyone returned from a break, Lehman attacked public defender Mark Groettum from behind, locking his arm around his neck and punching him repeatedly in the face. A chair was knocked over, and both men ended up on the floor. "Blood was all over Groettum, the counsel table and the floor of the courtroom," according to a court document.

And it all happened in front of the jury, the judge and all the others in the Hibbing courtroom.

This way, he gets a new trial and a new lawyer (plus a few extra charges, which is just the price of doing business).

Full post as published by Quiz Law on May 20, 2008 (boomark / email).