Insurance Law

Scruggs Nation: I Fought the Law and the Law Won version

By David Rossmiller

Dickie Scruggs, Zach Scruggs, and their former law partner Sid Backstrom are to be sentenced July 2 in the Scruggs bribery scandal.  John O'Brien at Legal Newsline has a story, and here is Judge Biggers' order setting the scheduling hearing.

Here's an excerpt from the judge's order:

The court has observed that the defendants have solicited numerous persons to write letters to the court requesting leniency for the defendants and making observations about the defendants’ character. The court will allow testimony from a maximum of three persons for each defendant in the defendant’s discretion at the sentencing hearing.  

How much time for rebuttal witnesses? 

Dickie Scruggs, as you may recall, is to receive five years in prison as part of his plea agreement, and Backstrom two-and-a-half, but Zach Scruggs' guilty plea came after what might loosely be termed the "open enrollment" period for plea bargains, and for plea bargains after the last date set from them before trial, the Court does not necessarily feel obligated to accept any terms worked out with prosecutors.  In return for Zach Scruggs' plea to misprision of a felony, prosecutors are recommending a sentence of probation.  We'll see if Judge Biggers goes with that or something harsher.  

Full post as published by Insurance Coverage Law Blog on May 30, 2008 (boomark / email).